THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 13, 2019 Page 7 Sen. Lewis joins senate to pass plastic bag ban JASON LEWIS State Senator BOSTON – On November 20, the State Senate passed a bill that would implement a statewide ban on all single-use plastic bags at checkout from retail stores, with limited exceptions. The bill requires retailers to charge at least 10 cents for “a recycled paper bag or reusable bag” at check out, and directs that fi ve cents of the amount collected from the sale of such bags go back to the city or town for enforcement of the ban, as well as for other municipal recycling eff orts. The retailer may keep the remainder of the fee to recoup the costs of providing such bags. “This legislation refl ects our Commonwealth’s strong commitment to protecting the environment while collaborating and consulting closely with stakeholders from both the retail and environmental community,” said State Senator Jason Lewis, who voted for the bill’s passage. “Many of our communities have already passed measures to limit plastic bags and encourage the use of reusable bags, and this bill will improve fairness by setting the same standards statewide and have a bigger impact on environmental protection than any single city or town could create on its own.” To provide consistency for retailers across the state, the bill would preempt existing plastic bag bans already implemented in cities and towns. In addition, the ban would continue to allow for plastic bags for specifi c products where plastic serves an enhanced purpose, such as for produce, poultry or other food items to keep them fresh, or for frozen items or items prone to leak, for example. To address concerns about cost, the bill allows small retail shops, which use a small number of carry-out bags, additional time to comply with the fee requirement. It also allows persons paying for their purchase with an EBT card to acquire their recycled carry-out paper bag for free. Single-use plastic bags are particularly detrimental to the environment. Only a small amount of the billions of plastic bags used in the United States are recycled, as they contaminate curbside single-stream recycling systems. Those that are recycled are not turned into new plastic bags; meaning new plastic must be produced to create new bags. Because plastic bags are abundant and unlikely to be recycled, they end up as litter. In the ocean, whales, sea turtles and birds become seriously injured or die when they mistake plastic bags for food. In landfi lls or when incinerated, plastic bags release contaminants into the ground or air, further damaging the environment. More than 100 Massachusetts cities and towns have already passed local laws banning plastic, as have Maine, Vermont, New York City, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, California, Connecticut and Delaware. Of those jurisdictions, California, Connecticut and Vermont all charge 10 cents for a disposable bag, while Oregon, Maine and D.C. and New York City all charge fi ve cents. Fees on paper bags have proven to be an important tool for reducing disposable bag usage. In Cambridge, Mass., for examPlug Into Reliability With Honda Generators! $ 290! 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