Plastic Bag Ban? Newport City Council Expected to Vote Wednesday

NEWPORT, RI—Back in January 2013, Barrington became the first Rhode Island community to ban plastic bags at checkout counters. Newport was expected to follow suit, when the councilors on Wednesday voted to add a new section to the Health and Safety ordinance.

The second reading of the amendment was on Wednesday's meeting agenda, along with a prospective vote to adopt the plastic bag ban implementation plan. The first reading passed unanimously in February.

If voted up, the new ban would go into effect immediately, according to the proposed amendment but would not be enforced until Nov. 1.

Other communities, such as Jamestown, Charlestown, Bristol and Warren have considered bag bans. In 2012, when the late Michael Brown was a Jamestown conservation commissioner, that town council agreed to support a state law banning single-use plastic bags, but that bill failed to muster support on Smith Hill. Also in 2012, Jamestown businesses, spearheaded by Brown's efforts, considered a voluntary bag ban, but ultimately, no ban was ever adopted.

Brown had argued plastic bags pose one of the top threats to marine life globally due to the volume blown into the oceans.

But the Newport bag ban is not voluntary. Violators could be fined up to $1,000 and face the loss of "any municipally granted license."

Both the implementation plan and the new section of ordinance cite evidence that the bags are typically not recycled. However, grocery stores and some big boxes do have receptacles for recycling plastic bags.

The implementation plan quotes numbers compiled by Clean Ocean Access. Dave McLaughlin, of that group, has advocated for bag bans in other communities, including Middletown and Portsmouth.

Both towns are considering similar bag bans.

After Barrington enacted its bag ban, predictions were numerous communities would do the same. So far, Newport's the only one to do so.

The bags used to carry purchases out of the store, not so-called “barrier” bags – used for wrapping fish and produce – are the only ones being banned.