{"id":10541,"date":"2019-05-05T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/?p=10541"},"modified":"2021-11-19T12:38:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-19T17:38:01","slug":"needhams-largest-retail-outlets-are-now-in-compliance-with-the-select-boards-plastic-checkout-bag-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/2019\/05\/needhams-largest-retail-outlets-are-now-in-compliance-with-the-select-boards-plastic-checkout-bag-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Needham’s largest retail outlets are now in compliance with the Select Board’s Plastic Checkout Bag Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The seven largest stores in Needham are now complying with the Select Board\u2019s Plastic Checkout Bag Policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nThe Select Board’s Plastic Checkout Bag Policy<\/a> was adopted on March 20, 2018. It requested that the largest stores in town (over 3,500 square feet) discontinue the use of single-use plastic shopping bags. Green Needham’s Plastic Bag Ban team led an effort asking the board to adopt a ban on single-use plastic bags by retailers in Needham.<\/p>\n

At a February 27th, 2018 standing-room-only Select Board public hearing<\/a> on the problems of plastic bags, virtually every resident in attendance supported a bylaw prohibiting the bags.\u00a0 The Select Board decided against creating a bylaw – choosing instead to request the largest stores to voluntarily discontinue single-use checkout bags – after securing a commitment from CVS, Petco, Roche Bros and Sudbury Farms, Staples, Trader Joe’s and Walgreens to stop using them by June 1, 2018.<\/p>\n

Roche Bros<\/strong> and Sudbury Farms<\/strong> responded quickly, immediately shifting to offering only paper bags to their shoppers.\u00a0 Volante Farms<\/strong> voluntarily stopped providing the bags, even though it was not covered by the Select Board Policy.\u00a0 Trader Joe\u2019s<\/strong> had never used them.\u00a0 Progress with the other stores took longer. Rob Fernandez<\/b>, Chair of Green Needham’s Plastic Bag Ban team, particularly appreciated that this past year’s Select Board Chair, Dan Matthews<\/b>, “advocated directly and was persistent in following up with the remaining retailers.” Today, all the largest stores are complying with the town\u2019s policy.<\/b><\/p>\n

These efforts are part of a broader movement to curb plastic bag use and waste<\/b>.\u00a0 In Massachusetts, ninety-three<\/a> cities and towns have passed plastic bag legislation.\u00a0 A state-wide plastic bag bill<\/a><\/b> (House 771 and Senate 462) filed in January has been co-signed by ninety-eight state legislators, including Needham’s Denise Garlick<\/b> and Becca Rasuch<\/b>. California and Hawaii have instituted bans, and the State of Washington is considering one.\u00a0 Globally, New Zealand moved forward last August with a country-wide ban on these single-use plastic bags, bringing the total number countries that have stopped using them to over fifty.<\/p>\n

Here in Needham, we recognize that it is equally important to encourage reusable bag use<\/b>. That’s a change in how we have traditionally shopped, but a choice that more and more people are making. It’s a choice that isn’t just good for the environment, it saves money for consumers and retailers. With the support of the Select Board, Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick<\/b> and Support Services Manager Sandy Cincotta<\/b> led the town\u2019s purchase of 10,000 reusable bags<\/b>.\u00a0 The bags were distributed to stores and organizations in Needham to encourage residents to \u201creduce and reuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

As with all such efforts, many people came together to make this happen. In addition to those already mentioned, Green Needham’s plastic bag ban team would like to thank:<\/p>\n