Mass. Senate voted to ban plastic shopping bags
More than 30 of the state’s 351 cities and towns have already banned retailers from providing free plastic shopping bags. Now the Senate wants to make it a statewide decision, passing a $40 billion budget Thursday night that includes a provision to ban single-use carryout plastic bags, reports The Boston Globe.
The bags would be banned at stores that are 3,000 square feet or larger or that have three state locations. The ban would make the state more environmentally friendly, proponents say.
However, critics worry about the 10-cent proposed charge for reusable and recycled paper bags at those stores. They worry it limits customer choice and may hurt mom-and-pop stores as they compete with online retailers for customers. It’s estimated that about 20,000 stores, out of about 60,000 in the state, would be affected by the ban.
Gov. Charlie Baker’s senior adviser Tim Buckley told the Globe that Baker “has serious concerns about enacting such a sweeping mandate through the budget process with little to no debate, especially due to the potential impacts on low-income families’ grocery bills, and retailers across Massachusetts.”
The ban passed by a vote of 29-9 and will now go to committee as part of the budgeting process.
Read the full story in the Globe.
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