Plastic Bag Ban Considered In Abington Township

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —The township is welcoming feedback regarding a ban on plastic bag usage.

Abington Township may join other Montgomery County communities in banning plastic bags with the ban possibly going into place on Jan. 1.

The ban is intended to reduce litter, protect wildlife and waterways, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce contamination of recycling.

The Abington Township Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is seeking feedback from local businesses about an initiative to reduce single-use plastic waste. Click here to take the survey

All responses will be anonymous.

A single-use plastic bag includes any plastic bag used by a customer to deliver/carry items home from a retail establishment, except the following excluded plastic bags:

• a bag used to package bulk items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, or candy
• a bag used to contain or wrap meats, fish, prepared foods, or baked goods
• a bag used to contain live animals, such as fish or insects, sold in a pet store
• a laundry or dry-cleaner bag
• a newspaper bag
• a prescription drug bag
• a bag sold in packaging containing multiple bags and packaged at the time of manufacture of the bag
• a bag that is durable with stitched handles and intended for multiple reuse
• any plastic bag distributed by the state or federal government

Abington Township would join Upper Dublin Township, which started its ban last month, Upper Moreland Township, which adopted its ban in July 2023, and Cheltenham Township, which banned plastic bags in April.

In February 2024, the Abington Township Environmental Advisory Council submitted a proposal to the Board of Commissioners to ban single-use plastics.

The EAC held a public information meeting last October to outline the proposal.