City-wide ban on all PE bags; 12-cent tax on paper

City-wide ban on plastic bags.

REPLACED 2021: https://www.northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/15908?fileID=139558

City-wide ban on plastic bags.

City-wide ban on plastic bags less than 2.5 mils.

City-wide ban on plastic bags less than 2.25 mils.

City-wide 25-cent tax on plastic and paper bags

City-wide ban on all PE bags

Replaced 2016 bill

• Types of materials banned:
  • “Single-use” plastic bags (including
    biodegradable/compostable plastics)
• Exemptions:
  • Bags made from other materials used for/to:
    Package loose, bulk items such as produce, nuts,
    grains, candy, small hardware items, frozen foods,
    meat, poultry, fish, flowers, potted plants,
    bakery/prepared goods, prescription drugs
    Laundry-dry cleaning bags
    Transport live fish
    Protect linens, bedding or other similar large items that
    cannot easily fit in a reusable bag
    Protect newspapers or other printed materials to be left
    at customer’s residence or business
    Protect tires that cannot easily fit in reusable bags
    Used to provide charitable food services
    Sale of multiple (minimum of 10), prepackaged single-use
    bags (for use at customer’s home or business)
    Have already been used by a customer and returned to be
    re-used by other customers (example: take-a-bag, leave-a-bag program)
• Effective as of: 1 Jan 2022
• Item fee:
  • Required – Reusable bags: made for a minimum of 100 uses, made primarily of fabric (must charge no less than $1 rising to $2 on January 1, 2023). Paper bags: contain at least 40% recycled paper content, and display the words “recyclable” and the amount of recycled content on the outside of the bag (must charge no less than 15 cents rising to 25 cents on January 1, 2023). Paper bags under 15 by 20 centimeters when flat are not chargeable.

City-wide 5-cent tax on plastic bags

City-wide ban on all PE bags; 10-cent tax on paper

City-wide ban on plastic bags less than 4 mils; 5-cent tax on paper bags.

UPDATE: July 2021: Ban delayed until October 1, 2021.

City-wide ban on plastic bags less than 3 mils.

Town-wide ban on plastic bags; 10-cent tax on paper

Town-wide ban on all PE bags

Town-wide ban on plastic bags, along with a 10-cent tax on paper bags

City-wide ban on all PE bags

• Types of materials banned:
  • Any bag made with plastic, including biodegradable or
    compostable plastic, but does not include a Reusable Bag
• Exemptions:
  • Small paper bags (less than 15cm x 20cm when flat) or bags used for/to:
    • package loose bulk items such as fruit, vegetables,
      nuts, grains, or candy;
    • package loose small hardware items such as nails and
      bolts;
    • contain or wrap frozen foods, meat, poultry, or fish,
      whether pre-packaged or not;
    • wrap flowers or potted plants;
    • protect prepared foods or bakery goods that are not
      pre-packaged;
    • contain prescription drugs received from a pharmacy;
    • transport live fish;
    • protect linens, bedding, or other similar large items that cannot easily fit in a Reusable Bag;
      protect newspapers or other printed material intended to be left at the customer’s residence or place of Business; or protect clothes after professional laundering or dry
      cleaning.
  • Sale of multiple, prepackaged “single-use” bags (for use at customer’s home or business)
• Effective as of: 1 Jul 2021
• Item fee: Required:
  • Paper bags: contain at least 40% of post-consumer recycled paper content and displays on the outside of the bag the words “Recyclable” and “made from 40% post-consumer recycled content” or other applicable amount (fee of 15 cents rising to 25 cents as of January 1, 2022).
  • Reusable bags: bag with handles made primarily of cloth or
    other washable fabric and designed and manufactured to be capable of at least 100 uses (fee of $1, rising to $2 as of
    January 1, 2022).

Town-wide ban on all PE bags, updated to include a ban on all polyethylene bags.

• Types of materials banned:
  • “Single-use” plastic bags (including biodegradable /
    compostable plastic)
• Exemptions:
  • “Single-use” bags used for/to:
    • Package loose, bulk items such as produce, nuts, grains, candy, small hardware items, frozen foods, meat, poultry, fish, flowers, potted plants, bakery/prepared goods, prescription drugs
    • Laundry-dry cleaning bags Transport live fish
      Contain linens, bedding or similar large items that cannot fit easily into reusable bags
    • Protect newspapers or other printed materials to be left at customer’s residence or business
    • Protect tires that cannot easily fit in reusable bags
      Sale of multiple, prepackaged single-use bags (for use at customer’s home or business)
• Effective as of: 30 Jun 2021
• Requirements for alternative options:
  • Reusable bags: made for a minimum of 100 uses, made
    primarily from cloth or other durable material
• Item fee:
  No requirement

• Types of materials banned:
  • “Single-use” plastic bags (including biodegradable /
    compostable plastic)
• Exemptions:
  • “Single-use” bags used for/to:
    • Package loose, bulk items such as produce, nuts, grains, candy, small hardware items, frozen foods, meat, poultry, fish, flowers, potted plants, bakery/prepared goods, prescription drugs
    • Laundry-dry cleaning bags
    • Transport live fish
    • Contain linens, bedding or similar large items that cannot fit easily into reusable bags
    • Protect newspapers or other printed materials to be left at customer’s residence or business
    • Protect tires that cannot easily fit in reusable bags
    • Sale of multiple, prepackaged single-use bags (for use at customer’s home or business)
• Effective as of: 30 Jun 2021
• Item fee:
  No requirement

Town bylaw should be posted online later this week.

• Types of materials banned:
  • Plastic shopping bags (oxo-degradable, oxo-fragmentable,
    biodegradable or compostable)
• Exemptions:
  • Single use bags used for/to:
    • Package loose, bulk items such as produce, nuts,
      candy, meats, fish
    • Package tires
    • Garment bags distributed by a business offering the
      dry cleaning service
    • Contain advertising material, for door-to-door
      distribution
    • Products already packaged by an industrial process
      Effective as of: 13 Jun 2021*
• Requirements for alternative options:
  • Reusable bags
  • Paper bags

Town-wide ban on plastic bags less than 2.25 mils; 10-cent fee on reusable bags

• Types of materials banned:
  • “Single-use” plastic bags (including
    biodegradable/compostable plastic)
  • Exemptions:
    • Small paper bags (less than 15cm x 20cm when flat) or bags used for/to:
      • Package loose, bulk items such as produce, nuts, grains, candy, small hardware items, frozen foods, meat, poultry, fish, flowers, potted plants, prescription drugs
      • Laundry-dry cleaning bags
      • Transport live fish
      • Protect linens, bedding or other similar large items that cannot easily fit in a reusable bag
      • Protect newspapers or other printed materials to be left at customer’s residence or business
      • Sale of multiple, prepackaged single-use bags (for use at  customer’s home or business)
• Effective as of: 15 Apr 2021
• Item fee:
  • Required – Paper bags: contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled content and displays, on the outside of the bag, the words “Recyclable” and “made from 40% post-consumer recycled content” (fee not less than $0.25). Reusable bags: made for a minimum of 100 uses, made primarily of cloth or other washable fabric ($2 for a reusable bag).

City-wide ban on plastic bags

• Types of materials banned:
  • “Single-use” plastic bags (including
    oxodegradable/oxofragmentable/compostable plastics)
• Exemptions:
  • “Single-use” bags used for/to:
    • Package loose, bulk items such as produce, nuts,
      candy, meats, fish, bakery/prepared goods, dairy
      products
    • Laundry-dry cleaning bags
    • Contain advertising material for door-to-door
      distribution
    • Products already packaged by a producer (industrial or artisanal)
    • Protect tires
• Effective as of: 1 Mar 2021
• Requirements for alternative options:
  • Reusable bags
  • Paper bags