RI House Passes Retail Plastic Bag Ban

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI — The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a bill Friday that would prohibit retail stores from making single-use plastic bags available at checkout.

Bill sponsor Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee (D-South Kingstown, Narragansett), said the Plastic Waste Reduction Act (2022-H 7065A) was designed to reduce the use of plastic bags by retail establishments by offering recyclable bag options and providing penalties for violations.

Under the legislation, retail establishments would be prohibited from making available any single-use plastic checkout bag or any paper checkout bag that is not a recyclable paper bag or a paper carryout bag at restaurants.

"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," McEntee said in a statement. "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 litter our parks, clog our rivers and oceans, and choke our wildlife. 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 act would take effect within one year from the establishment of regulations by the Department of Environmental Management or on Jan. 1, 2024, whichever occurs first.

The legislation now heads to the Rhode Island senate for consideration.