Tewksbury Considering Repeal Of Plastic Bag Ban

TEWKSBURY, MA — Tewksbury Town Meeting will consider repealing a plastic shopping bag ban that it passed last fall. Town Meeting is schedule for May 6 and include Article 28, which, if passed, would strike the ban. When the ban was passed last fall, it was done by a sparsely attended Town Meeting, but now both sides have been mounting a "go to town meeting" campaigns on social media.

More than 80 Massachusetts communities have banned the single-use, plastic shopping bags that have been a staple of the grocery industry for a generation. Like other communities, Tewksbury's ban prohibits stores from giving out the bags, prompting stores to use paper bags while encouraging shoppers to bring resuabale shopping bags. The bans do not apply to plastic bags used for produce and other perishables.

Opponents of the bag ban say it is ineffective in fighting litter and puts a burden on older shoppers, who rely on the handles built into the plastic shopping bags.

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