Single Use Plastic Bags Banned In 2 More Montgomery Co. Communities

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Two more townships in Montgomery County joined a growing number of local and regional communities to ban single use plastic bags, a major step toward reducing public reliance upon a notorious pollutant and scourge of the ecosystem.

Upper Merion and Upper Moreland both banned plastics in the past several days. That comes less than a month after Lower Merion banned plastics.

“Mitigating the effects of climate change and global warming will take societal change," State Senator Amanda Cappelletti, whose district includes Upper and Lower Merion, said in a statement. "Banning plastic bags is an effective way to increase the usage of reusable options – reducing the need for single use plastics that can take decades, if not hundreds of years, to decompose."

Upper Merion's ban is particularly notable as it includes the King of Prussia Mall, a major plastics user.

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In 2018, nearby Narberth became the first Pennsylvania municipality to pass the measure. With the latest measures passed, there are now 20 municipalities statewide that have enacted bans.

Paper bags will replace plastic, and reusable bags will be promoted.

Upper Merion and Upper Moreland also banned foam polystyrene containers, often used as to-go boxes. They're just the 6th and 7th municipalities to do so.

“Plastic bags are the poster child for the environmental harm caused by single-use plastics. Nothing we use for a few minutes, such as single-use plastic bags, should be allowed to litter our communities, pollute our environment, and fill our landfills and incinerators for hundreds of years to come," Faran Savitz, a zero waste advocate with PennEnvironment, which worked with both municipalities on their measures, said in a statement. "This sends a strong message that Montgomery County is a leader in the effort to tackle litter and single-use plastic pollution."

Upper Merion residents use an estaimated 12 million single use plastic bags, while Upper Moreland uses 9 million, according to estimates from PennEnvironment.