On Sunday, Mayor Martin Walsh signed legislation banning the usage of single-use plastic bags in Boston. The Boston Globe reported:
“Boston joins 59 other municipalities statewide and hundreds across the nation, including Seattle and Washington, D.C., in adopting a ban. It takes effect next December, giving stores and shoppers time to prepare… Walsh’s decision ends more than a year of debate over whether to eliminate disposable shopping bags and steer businesses and consumers toward reusable ones. The goal, supporters say, is to reduce litter and cut the amount of plastic in the environment. Opponents included representatives of the paper and plastic industries as well as critics who say the measure will amount to a tax on the poor. “
Some Boston residents and CSHCA members are participating in a local bag-share program to provide Boston residents with reusable bags.