Plastic Bags Are Banned In Radnor Township

RADNOR TWP, PA —Radnor commissioners voted 5 to 1 Monday night to ban single-use plastic bags.

Radnor became the 10th municipality in Pennsylvania and the third in Delaware County to pass legislation banning single-use plastic bags.

Wawa, Giant, Lancaster County Farmers Market, and the Wayne Business Association have been notified of the ban, officials said.

The ban will not take effect for six months.

A .10 cent charge is required for recyclable bags.

Exempt from the ordinance are laundry, dry cleaning, and newspaper bags, non-profit food pantries.

Under the new law, a violation of the ordinance would carry a $50 fine for the first offense; a $100 fine for the second offense; and $200 fine for the third offense.

Moira Mulroney, board president, said the township is on board with other municipalities in the region.

Commissioner Sean Farhy noted that not all residents can afford the cost of the bags.

Farhy said that residents could be in a situation where they cannot carry recyclable bags with them when taking public transportation.

Fahry, however, voted in favor of the ordinance.

Commissioner Jake Abel voted against the ordinance, expressing concerns about the exemptions.

Faran Savitz, a member of Penn Environment’s Zero Waste, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit promoting clean environment, applauded Radnor commissioners as a statewide leader in the fight against plastic pollution.

“Radnor’s new ordinance is a big step forward in the effort to cut unnecessary and dangerous single-use plastics out of our lives,” he said.

Savitz said with over 33,000 residents, Radnor is the fourth-largest municipality to ban plastic bags in the state.

PennEnvironment estimated that Radnor uses over 12 million single-use plastic bags every year, equivalent to 66 tons of plastic.

Neighboring Tredyfrin Township on Monday night unanimously agreed to hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags.