Cambridge's new "Bring Your Own Bag" ordinance will create a financial incentive for customers to bring their own reusable bags to businesses, including restaurants.
If you notice an extra item on your receipt marked “Checkout Bag Charge” while visiting a Cambridge business in a few months, it’s not a rogue restaurant passing their operating costs on to the customer. It’s the result of years of effort by sustainability advocates that culminated in a city ordinance passed last March.
The “Bring Your Own Bag” ordinancerequires businesses to use bags that are reusable or compostable—no more single-use plastic pouches. And in an effort to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags, customers will be charged ten cents per bag with a specific line item on their receipts.
Fitting with the Innovation Hub’s forward-looking reputation, the goal of the ordinance is environmental. Fewer disposable bags will “protect the marine environment, advance solid waste reduction, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect waterways,” according to the Cambridge city website.
There are two primary reasons for the ten-cent charge, says Amy Klein, marketing and communications director for the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts.
The first is to help offset the cost of the compostable bags for businesses. While costs vary, most compostable bags will be in the 15 to 20-cent range.
The second reason is to have customers start paying for what they are using. “It shouldn’t necessarily be an expectation that you can get as many bags as you want for free because that way, it’s so easy to just throw it in the trash,” says Klein. “The ten cents puts a value on that.”
The ordinance will go into effect on March 31, 2016. The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts and specialty tote-maker 1 Bag at a Time held a bag vendor fair on Tuesday to assist businesses with the transition.
Some businesses are exempt, such as non-profit or religiously-affiliated bazaars, or those that can demonstrate hardship. Some bag types are also exempt, including produce bags and bags used to contain frozen food, meat, or fish. However, diners who want their leftovers wrapped up will see the ten-cent charge on their bill.
“Hopefully it will help shift consumer habits, so whether they’re in Cambridge or anywhere else, they’ll remember to bring their own bag,” says Klein. “That way we can reduce the amount of products that are being produced and put into the landfill.”
What do you think of the ordinance? Tell us in the comments section!
Follow Nicole Fleming on Twitter @GirlEatsBoston.
