South Kingstown's Plastic Bag Ban Is Back, Officials Remind

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI — South Kingstown officials reminded residents and business owners that the town's plastic bag ban went back into effect last month.

"While out and about in town today, we saw some businesses still using plastic bags," read a statement posted on the town's Facebook page. "This is a gentle reminder the Town of South Kingstown local Executive Order 2020-07 (amended) suspending 'The Plastic Bag Ban' expired last month on July 8th, 2020."

The town-wide ban has been in place since last January. Under the policy, businesses are prohibited from providing single-use 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.

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