Plastic bag bans are going into effect in Lowell and Westford on January 1, Tewksbury on April 1, and Tyngsborough on May 1. Each city or town is implementing them slightly differently.
Here's what you need to know when you go shopping in Greater Lowell starting January 1.
LOWELL -- plastic bag ban begins January 1, 2019
Establishments of 3000 feet or larger (i.e., grocery stores, department stores, large restaurants) may not provide shoppers with the single-use "Thank you" style of thin plastic bag. Shoppers may either bring their own reusable bags, or choose either a recyclable paper bag or to pay for a sturdier, multi-use bag with handles (ranging from 10 cents for a sturdy plastic bag to $1.00 or more for reusable fabric bags). Other thin plastic bags are still permitted, such as thin bags for fruits, vegetables, meat and bulk foods; dry cleaning bags, and newspaper bags.
WESTFORD -- plastic bag ban begins January 1, 2019
ANY establishment that sells or provides food, merchandise or services may not use single-use plastic bags. Shoppers may either bring their own reusable bags, or choose to receive either recyclable paper bags or to pay for a sturdier, multi-use bag with handles (ranging from 10 cents for a sturdy plastic bag to $1.00 or more for reusable fabric bags). Thin-film bags for produce/bulk foods, newspapers, or dry cleaning are still permitted. Note that festivals run by nonprofits or religious organizations do not fall under this ban.
TEWKSBURY -- plastic bag ban begins April 1, 2019
ANY establishment that sells or provides food, merchandise or services may not use single-use plastic bags. Shoppers may either bring their own reusable bags, or choose to receive either recyclable paper bags or to pay for a sturdier, multi-use bag with handles (ranging from 10 cents for a sturdy plastic bag to $1.00 or more for reusable fabric bags). Thin-film bags for produce/bulk foods, newspapers, or dry cleaning are still permitted. Note that festivals run by nonprofits or religious organizations do not fall under this ban.
TYNGSBOROUGH -- plastic bag ban begins May 1, 2019
ANY establishment that sells or provides food, merchandise or services may not use single-use plastic bags of 1.5 mils or less. Note that 1.5 mils is quite thin, actually half the thickness of the ban in other towns (which is generally 3.0 mils) so you will probably see some stores still using plastic bags; however, they won't be the thin "thank you" kind of bag but a heavier plastic bag that is intended to be reused. Shoppers may either bring their own reusable bags, or choose to receive either recyclable paper bags or to pay for a sturdier, multi-use bag with handles (ranging from 10 cents for a sturdy plastic bag to $1.00 or more for reusable fabric bags). Thin-film bags for produce/bulk foods, newspapers, or dry cleaning are still permitted.
What if I've always used those single-use plastic bags as trash bags or for pet waste disposal?
I've been using tote bags for my groceries for a couple of years, and, trust me, plenty of thin plastic bags will still enter your home. For instance, you'll still get produce bags, bags from stores in towns with no plastic bag ban, and bags from miscellaneous small retailers who don't have to comply with the ban. If you do end up needing to buy pet waste bags, the best source I've found is Marshalls or Home Goods. Check the pet section and you'll find boxes of 200-300 pet bags for $5-10 -- stock up once a twice a year and you're all set, and you even earn extra points because many of these bulk boxes are biodegradeable bags, unlike the single-use plastic grocery bags you may have been using until now.
Thoughts and recommendations
I'm a bit of a recycling nut. If an item can be recycled, we really try to do it. We put out two huge recycling rolling toters every 2 weeks plus a bin filled with broken-down cardboard boxes. We also save every clean plastic bag (in a bin under the sink) and bring them to the grocery store to drop into the plastic bag recycling bin. (Remember, NO plastic bags of any kind in your home recycling bin.) Once you get used to it, it's easy and worth doing to protect and improve our environment for our kids. Our earth and environment is beautiful, and it's so important to keep it healthy for our kids and grandkids.
Here are some thoughts about how to make it easier to get used to using reusable bags:
- Pick up as many tote bags as you can, of various sizes. Market Basket has fabric shopping bags of various kinds; the ones that fold up and snap into a small bundle are only $1.39, I think, and are strong. Many nonprofits and businesses give away fabric tote bags as promotional items -- grab them when you can! Try to have at least 15-20 tote bags at any time (the really thin ones eventually rip or fall apart, so keep replacing them). TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods have very large sturdy plastic shopping bags with handles. Note that these bags are generally too big for groceries, since filling them would make the bag too heavy. They're very handy for bulky items like toilet paper though.
- Have a bundle of tote bags in each of your cars, and another bundle of bags close to your regular exit at home. (We usually exit through the garage, so we have a huge stash of tote bags in the closet right next to the garage.) When you unpack your groceries, bundle your bags back up and put them by the door to go right back out to the car. Give it time; within a few months, it will become second nature to bring tote bags with you.
- When you bring your tote bags into the grocery store, don't put them in the cart, where they'll end up covered with groceries and inaccessible right when you need them. Stuff them under the cart, on the shelf right in front of your feet. When you check out, put your bags on the belt first, before your groceries. If you have one bag designated for meat, show it to the person who's bagging. Or put all your meat in thin film bags, so that it can go in with other groceries.
- Pick up a couple of polyester bags that fold up into a small pouch, like these (affiliate link); they're great to have in your purse or backpack if you stop into a store and forgot your tote bags.
I see a lot of complaining about the plastic bag ban on local Facebook groups, and it's a bummer. People are worried because the store paper bags don't have handles, and the single-use plastic bags did, so they were convenient. Hey, tote bags have handles and they're way stronger than a single-use plastic bag! Just give yourself a bit of time to get used to bringing them with you, and I bet that eventually you'll find that it's much easier carrying your groceries in tote bags. Be proud of what you're doing to help our environment! Every time you bring your tote bags, think of that sea of plastic bags floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and along the edge of the Merrimack River -- your simple action is reducing plastic trash, one bag at a time, and it's a great thing!!
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