RI Lawmakers To Again Consider Statewide Plastic Bag Ban

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island lawmakers will again consider a statewide plastic bag ban. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee once again introduced legislation that would require stores to offer recyclable or reusable alternatives to single-use plastic bags.

"The dangers plastic pollution poses to oceans and marine wildlife is well-documented, and plastic use overall contributes to the degradation of our environment," Ruggerio said.

A statewide plastic bag ban is not a new debate in Rhode Island. Legislation has been introduced in both 2019 and 2020 and approved by the Senate, but never made it to the governor's desk.

Several cities and towns, such as South Kingstown, have taken community-level action and implemented their own bans. Ruggerio said that it's important to take this momentum and apply it at the state level.

"We must take action to reduce plastic consumption and pollution," he said. "Support for efforts to promote reusable bags is growing, as is evidenced by the many communities in our state that have already adopted similar policies. A consistent statewide policy would be appropriate and much more effective at addressing this source of pollution."

The bill bars businesses from offering single-use plastic bags at checkout, instead requiring a recyclable paper alternative.

McEntee, who represents Narragansett and South Kingstown, said that her district underscores the need to reduce plastic waste.

"I am the representative from two coastal communities and we have seen firsthand the damage that plastic bags do to our oceans and environment for many years now," she said. "In Rhode Island, we throw away approximately 26,000 tons of plastic bags and plastic film every year. When you think about how little plastic bags weigh, this is a staggering amount of waste that needs to be eliminated in our state."

Plastics that end up in the water are broken down by sunlight and waves, becoming smaller particles called "microplastics." These microplastics can then be ingested by fish and other marine life, which negatively impacts fisheries and aquatic ecosystems.

"Plastics litter our parks, clog our rivers and oceans, and choke our wildlife," McEntee continued. "These particles end up in our soil, in our drinking water, in the food we eat and in the air we breathe. Now is the time to end this environmental and public health destruction and finally pass a statewide ban on plastic bags."

The bill also discusses the issues plastic bags and films cause in the waste management process, since they are the most common contaminants of recycling loads in the state.

Several environmental advocates have come out in support of the legislation, including the Conservation Law Foundation.

"It’s time to ban plastic bags in Rhode Island once and for all," said Amy Moses, the organization's Rhode Island director. "Plastics pollute at every stage of their lives — from extracting and refining fossil fuels to contaminating our recycling and choking wildlife. This bill is a solid compromise and it will keep Rhode Island’s lands and waters free from this toxic litter."