Burlington Town Meeting Passes Plastic Bag Ban

BURLINGTON, MA -- Burlington joined nearly 90 other Massachusetts communities Monday when town meeting approved a ban on single-use, plastic shopping bags. The new rule passed on a majority voice vote. The warrant article, which was first proposed by a Burlington High School student, had been indefinitely delayed when Town Meeting met in September.

Under the new rules, businesses that give customers non-reusable plastic bags would get a warning on the first offense and a $25 fine on the second offense. Each subsequent offense would result in a $50 fine. Certain exemptions, such as plastic bags for perishable items like produce, are built into the new rules.

More than 80 Massachusetts communities have passed bans on plastic bags that have been a staple of grocery store checkout lines and takeout food orders for decades. While town meeting generally supported the measure in September, they held off on passing it because they believed the Massachusetts legislature was on the verge of passing a statewide ban on plastic shopping bags.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).