Pepperell Board Holds Public Hearing on Proposed Plastic Bag Ban Bylaw

PEPPERELL -- September 18, 2019, Pepperell held a public hearing on a proposed bylaw that would ban single-use plastic carryout bags at retail points of sale starting January 1, 2020. Duncan Primus, a sophomore at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire, co-authored the measure with his mother, Deneen Primus, modeling it on the Scituate bylaw as recommended by massgreen.org. Town Administrator Andrew McLean presided and noted the board had already expressed full support at a September 3 presentation. Duncan Primus said 122 other Massachusetts communities have adopted similar bans, and neighboring Townsend and Lunenburg both implemented them without retailer complaints. An unidentified retail cashier raised concerns about wet produce bags, elderly customers' reliance on handled bags, and shoplifting risk from customers bringing their own bags; McLean clarified that handleless produce bags and paper bags are not targeted by the ban. The bylaw goes before town meeting on October 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Nissitissit Middle School, with the full warrant to be posted online October 4.