Boston will join 59 other Massachusetts municipalities and hundreds of others across the nation, including Seattle, Washington, and Washington, D.C., in banning single-use plastic shopping bags by the end of this year. Instead, Boston shoppers must bring their own totes or pay store owners five cents or more for a thicker, compostable plastic bag or a larger paper bag with handles. “This new ordinance protects the health of our neighborhoods and environment, while at the same time easing the burden on taxpayers and saving local retailers millions,” says Kirstie Pecci, director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Zero Waste Project.

This article appears in the June 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.