Marthas Vineyard Considers Replacing Plastic Bags with Reusable Bags

Selectmen for the town of Oak Bluffs, a small community on Martha's Vineyard, announced that they will not hold a vote this spring on implementing a plastic bag ban. Some area store owners are concerned that the switch to [reusable shopping bags] will hit them in the pocketbook, while others say that the cost will have little effect on their businesses. A few noted that they could pass the costs on to customers, but that the increase in cost would be negligible.

Five other towns on the small island, located off the coast of Massachusetts, have already agreed to bring a plastic bag ban to a vote in their annual meetings, but the Oak Bluffs Board of Selectmen are planning to approach the problem of plastic bags in a different way. Selectman Gail Bamarkian said that ??there are still some issues to be considered."

Among the issues raised was the fact that Oak Bluffs is larger than other towns on the island, has more businesses, and is largely a ??walking" town. Because of that, some business owners are concerned that customers would find the switch to paper bags difficult. Other area business owners, however, note that they already use paper bags, as well as sell reusable tote bags for produce and other grocery items.

The neighboring island of Nantucket was one of the first communities in the country to ban single use plastic bags. Their plastic bag ban went into effect in 1990, and includes all plastic and polystyrene containers supplied by vendors. A Nantucket supermarket clerk noted that the store packs groceries in 70-pound paper bags, which are good for five to ten uses, as well as selling reusable tote bags at the register. The store also collects used grocery bags from customers for reuse. About 35 percent of the store's customers bring their own [reusable grocery bags](http://www.amazon.com/Pop-Expandable-Design-Eco-Friendly-Lightweight/dp/B00UHAMMDG/) when they come to the store, the clerk said. She feels that most island residents see their long-standing ban on the use of plastic bags and containers as a source of pride.

Town Manager Elizabeth Gibson says that she's never heard a complaint about the ban, and that it's well established there. She says that the plastic bag ban has been good for the town.

The Vineyard Conservation Society, which has campaigned for the island-wide plastic bag ban, isn't concerned. ??They have a different path they'd like to take with this," said a VCS member.

The selectman agrees. ??There are many different ways the bylaw could be written to accommodate the concerns," she said.

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