The Ashland Sustainability Committee is planning to bring a bylaw to town meeting on Nov. 14 to ban single-use plastic bags. Until then, the committee is gathering feedback and answering questions from business owners and residents.
The committee had booths at the Ashland Farmers Market (AFM) in June, the Dragonfly Festival in August, and by the time Local Town Pages goes to print, at Ashland Day, Sept. 16, as well.
During the months of September and October, the committee is presenting to several town committees, which have an interest in this issue. The committee will also hold two public forums on the bag ban: one for businesses on Sept. 27, and one for residents on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ashland library.
“At each of these events, we are gathering feedback and tracking the comments we receive,” Matt Marshquist, committee chair, said. “So far, many of the residents we have spoken with have had a positive response. At the same time, we have heard some concerns, even from residents who are in favor of a plastic bag ban.
“One of the most common concerns is from people who reuse the plastic grocery bags for something else before discarding them. Many people have additional uses for the bags, including lining their trash cans, picking up dog waste, or as one lady told me, filling in holes her yard!”
While the bag ban will be an adjustment for many residents, alternatives are available. One suggestion is to use pet food or diaper bags for trash can liners and bread or produce bags for pet waste.
What Will and
Will Not Be Eliminated
“I have spoken to a few people who were concerned about other types of bags being eliminated, such as trash bags or dog waste bags. Those bags will still be available for purchase in the town,” Marshquist said. “It is important to know that there are several types of bags that will be exempt; thin-film plastic bags, typically without handles, used to contain dry cleaning, newspapers, produce, meat, wet items and other similar merchandise, will still be allowed.”
For businesses, the primary concerns identified so far are around cost and ease of use.
Impacts on Businesses
“We have reached out to contacts in other towns that have already gone through the transition to research possible impacts on businesses,” Marshquist said.
In Barrington, Rhode Island, when their bag ban was being amended to remove a sunset provision, volunteers contacted the major retailers in town. All of the businesses approached agreed to sign the following statement, “Our business has adjusted well to the plastic bag ban and we find the ban has had no long-lasting negative impacts on our ability to serve our customers and on customer satisfaction.” The retailers, such as CVS, Rite Aid and Shaw’s, are also located in Ashland.
The Answer:
Reusable Bags
“If everyone in town switches to paper bags instead of plastic, there could be increased costs for businesses, as paper bags are more expensive than plastic. However, the goal of this effort is not to replace single-use plastic bags with single-use paper. We want to see a bigger shift in behavior to a majority of residents bringing reusable bags with them. If that happens, it has the potential to reduce costs for businesses and consumers,” Marshquist explained.
“A related concern is around the impact this initiative will have on low-income residents. We are currently discussing methods to provide reusable bags to those who may need them through locations like the food pantry.
“One tip for those who are interested, AFM typically offers free reusable bags to patrons each Saturday. The bags provide a good branding opportunity for local businesses, creating a win-win-win for the environment, shoppers and the business providing the bags.”
For more information on plastics in the environment and Ashland’s efforts to reduce waste, read “Banning Plastic Bags in Ashland” and “Ashland, a Green Community” in the September 2017 issue of Ashland Local Town Pages
Massachusetts communities banning plastic bags, visit www.massgreen.org/plastic-bag-legislation.html.
Sustainability Committee Answers Business and Residents’ Concerns
Issue Date:
October, 2017
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