Laura Kiesel of Arlington wrote this primer about changes regarding plastic bag in town. She is a natural-resource scientist and environmental journalist who was one of the original proponents of the plastic bag ban:
Last spring, Arlington Town Meeting members voted by a margin of 188 to 21 to institute a ban on certain kinds of plastic bags in 2018. By doing so, they joined some 50 other municipalities in the Commonwealth that had already passed similar bans in recent years.
In particular, the Arlington ban will ultimately prohibit the use of single-use plastic bags from checkout counters at retailers and grocers throughout the town. However, it still allows exemptions for other kind of plastic bags, such as those used newspaper deliveries, curbside trash pickup, prepackaged food, produce bags and dry-cleaning bags.
This measure was a long time coming, with a majority of support among Arlington residents and many business owners, who have collectively grown more concerned about the environmental and public-health impacts regarding the overuse of plastic bags. In particular, 2 billion plastic bags are used in Massachusetts alone each year, contributing to gigantic islands of plastic in our oceans that threaten nearly 300 species with extinction. In fact, Massachusetts is one of the top five places to experience marine animal strandings in the world, with entanglement with plastic debris one of the top causes, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
First phase in March, second this summer
The first phase of the new Arlington bylaw went into effect March 1 and encompasses larger stores such as Walgreen’s, CVS and Stop & Shop. Since these big chain stores have already had to adapt to similar bans over the past decade in neighboring cities and towns throughout the state and nation, this seemed like an easier way for the town to transition. After all, these are stores that are already well-equipped to acclimate quickly to Arlington’s new guidelines without much fuss or complication, so smaller stores will reap the benefits of having residents get used to the idea of less plastic before taking the plunge themselves.
The Arlington Board of Health has been tasked with enforcing the ban, and it has been in close contact with the larger retailers in preparation of the changes that took effect in March. As the Board of Health already inspects food establishments — which is where most plastic checkout bags are distributed — enforcing the bylaw does not require too much extra effort or resources on their part.
Additionally, the precedent set by similar bans in other communities reveals they usually require little enforcement. However, customers can assist with making sure businesses comply by reporting violations to the store’s management or, if they do not respond with concern, the Board of Health. That agency also began reaching out to smaller retailers and grocers to help them prepare for the second phase-in, due to take effect July 1, and will apply to all remaining businesses in Arlington.
My colleagues and I who co-sponsored this measure — including Town Meeting members Jim Ballin, James DiTullio and Greg Dennis — felt this extended multiphase implementation would be best for ensuring that smaller retailers had plenty of time to acclimate to the necessary changes and to use up their existing stocks of plastic bags.
Paper bags still an option
After the ban goes into full effect this summer, paper bags will still be available as an option at checkout counters, and will be made up of a minimum of 40-percent postconsumer recycled material. Some residents have expressed concern that the plastic bag ban will simply cause consumers to replace plastic with paper, which has its own environmental costs. However, the data doesn’t support this concern.
In particular, a 2013 study by the nonpartisan Equinox Center found that 84 percent of consumers switched to reusable bags or opted out of using bags altogether following the implementation of plastic bag bans in San Jose, Santa Monica and Los Angeles County. On a related note, the San Jose Transportation and Environment Committee also found a significant decrease in plastic bag litter in the city, including an 89-percent reduction in the storm-drain system, and a 60-percent reduction in the creeks, rivers, residential streets and neighborhoods.
This has corresponded with my own research in Massachusetts, where store owners in neighboring Cambridge and Somerville told me they immediately noted a doubling and tripling of customers bringing their own reusable bags to checkout registers subsequent to the their bans going into effect, as well as less plastic bag litter on street corners and in waterways.
Store owners can better prepare their customers for the impending ban by asking them whether they need a bag with their purchase rather than immediately bagging items.
Invest in reusable bags
Anecdotally, I have noticed now that large paper bags with handles are the primary bag at Walgreen’s, checkout clerks now tend to ask their customers if they need a bag. I have been heartened to notice more people forgoing this option, especially if they only have one or two small items. For those who are frustrated at the lack of bag options available at checkout, investing in reusable bags can help meet their needs without expending precious resources or further polluting our air and water.
Reusable bags are very cheap to buy and are available at places like Stop & Shop for as little as a dollar apiece and often have bonus deals where they are offered for free. Personally, of the nine reusable bags I have in my own home, I have received all but one for free at different events. In fact, businesses frequently offer free giveaways of reusable bags.
However, to address any needs in our community, DeAnne Dupont of Food Link has secured a generous donation of 300 reusable bags from Watertown Savings Bank, which we intend to distribute to the community. I already distributed dozens of these bags at the town’s annual EcoFest on March 24, as well as answered questions and clarified information about the ban to those who visited the Sustainable Arlington booth, where I was tabling on this and other environmental matters relevant to the town. I will be further working with DeAnne at Food Link, as well as other interested groups and organizations, to distribute bags to those who most need them, especially our disabled, low income and elderly residents.
Anyone have reusables?
I have also started a reusable bag drive. If anyone has any clean and gently used canvas and polyester bags, drop them off at our donation boxes, which are across from customer service desk at the Arlington Department of Public Works at 51 Grove St. (with collection time occurring during normal businesses hours), and at the Arlington Food Pantry at 117 Broadway in East Arlington, Sundays through Tuesdays, and Thursdays through Fridays, 6:30 a.m. to noon (drop-off not available on Wednesdays or Saturdays).
“Food Link was very happy to secure reusable bags and to participate in the reusable bag drive as it complements part of our mission of reducing waste and contributing to environmental sustainability,” says DuPont.
Now that Boston has also passed its own plastic bag ban ordinance at the end of last year, a statewide ban — which has been proposed every legislative session since 2012 — is looking more likely to become a reality in the near future. Fortunately, Arlington is now well-positioned to adapt to such a ban.
Every step to phase out the use of plastic bags in each town contributes to a growing momentum that takes us closer to a healthier and more environmentally sustainable future.
This information, including personal observation, was published Thursday, March 29, 2018.
