Worcester Plastic Bag Ban To Get Final City Council Vote

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester City Council is set to approve a plastic bag ban at the Oct. 15 meeting. The measure would ban single-use plastic bags, requiring shoppers to use reusable bags, or opt for paper or compostable bags offered by retailers.

The ban would prohibit stores from offering carryout plastic bags under the threat of a $50 penalty — and continuing to a maximum of $300 for continued violations. Worcester's law would not ban plastic bags used, for example, for produce or dry-cleaning.

The law also allows the city manager to grant exemptions if businesses can prove "undue hardship." Businesses can also get permission to continue using plastic bags that are left when the ban is set to go into effect on April 1, 2020.

Single-use plastic bags are seen as an environmental scourge, clogging waterways and landfills across the globe. Eight states, including Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont, have banned plastic bags, but the effort has been proceeding city-by-city in Massachusetts. About 122 cities and towns have banned the bags so far, including Boston.

By all indications, the ban will likely get approved. The Council was unanimous in a late September preliminary vote on the ban.