Cole Rosengren reports for WasteDive / June 18, 2019
Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill Monday (LD 1532) that will ban single-use plastic bags across the state by April 22, 2020. Reusable plastic and paper bags will be permitted for at least $0.05 per bag.
Shortly after, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill (S.113) that will ban single-use plastic bags by July 1, 2020 and require a fee of at least $0.10 for paper bags. Reusable bags will be encouraged as an alternative.
In addition, Vermont’s law goes a step farther by banning polystyrene foam containers, plastic stirrers and plastic straws (with certain disability-related exceptions) in what has been described as the “toughest” and most expansive state plastics policy yet.
These two developments bring the tally of states with official plastic bag bans up to four, including California and New York. Counting Hawaii, which has bag bans in every county, the total reaches five. Pending expected approval in states such as Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon — as well as ongoing efforts elsewhere — that number can be expected to rise within the next month.
Following passage of the nation’s first two statewide bans on polystyrene foam containers — in Maine and Maryland — 2019 may well become an inflection point for plastics policy.
Canada’s government announced plans for its national plastics policy last week — a development precipitated by rising cultural attention to the environmental effects of plastics production, as well as pollution from potential mismanagement.
