South Kingstown Cutting Back on Plastic Bag Use

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI -- Since January 1, South Kingstown has cracked down on single-use plastic bags in the town. Last spring, the town council adopted an ordinance banning certain plastic bags starting in 2019. The goal of the ordinance is to decrease the number of plastic bags in the town's waste and in the environment.

Under the new ordinance, retailers are no longer allowed to provide single-use plastic bags at checkout.

Certain types of plastic bags are exempt from the ordinance. These include bags for items such as screws and other small hardware, bakery items, meat or fish, newspapers, flowers, and others. Plastic barrier bags, or bags open at both ends such as for dry cleaning, are also allowed under the ordinance, as well as plastic bags provided by pharmacies, and packages of multiple bags such as garbage bags.

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Residents are encouraged to bring reusable cloth or canvas bags with them when they go shopping. Retailers are allowed to provide recyclable paper bags, as long as they are made with at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled materials.

More information on the plastic reduction program can be found on South Kingstown's town website.

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