A statewide ban on plastic bags is going into effect on July 1.
Our CBS 13 news partners report that, for those who don’t have any on hand, you’ll have pay at least $0.05 for a paper bag or a reusable bag made of plastic. Some are supportive of the ban on single-use plastic bags. but, like anything else, there are pros and cons to the law. Serena Merrill works for Instacart, which says it charges people if there’s a local or state law on the books, like in Portland.
“There’s a lot of people up in arms about this,” Merrill said.
When Governor Janet Mills signed the law back in 2019, there were varying laws in more than 20 Maine communities.
“We felt it was time that the state needed to come together and have a statewide policy to bring consistency,” Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association Executive Director Christine Cummings said.
If stores do offer paper bags, the price tag will help them buy more, because they can be two to three times the cost of plastic.
“It’s an opportunity for the retailers to slightly recoup a little bit of that increased cost, but certainly doesn’t cover the cost,” Cummings said.
There are some exceptions to the law. Restaurants will not have to charge for recycled paper bags or reusable bags made of plastic, but may choose to do so. Starting July 1, disposable polystyrene foam food containers are also banned at many establishments, with some exceptions. This ban impacts restaurants and grocery stores. They’ll need to find a new way to package things like meat for consumers.
