Rhode Islanders react to incoming ban on plastic bags

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island’s statewide ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect in the new year.

The Ocean State will join neighboring states like Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine in banning single-use plastic bags.

Rhode Islander Deirdre Barry said she thinks the ban is a positive decision.

“I think it’s good to eliminate that across the board as you see most stores already have paper bags so it’s going to be a good thing and again, I’ve lived in New York City, Boston, I’ve lived in all these other states where I feel like it’s just the norm, where other states it’s not so I’m just really excited for the new year to have this,” Barry explained.

The ban will affect retail establishments, although some have already made the switch to papers bags, charging customers a small fee.

The change from plastic to paper urges shoppers to bring their own reusable bags.

“I feel like at first there’s a lot of hesitancy just when there’s change overall and so I feel like it will take some time to have people come around to but once your used to it you don’t even think about it,” Barry continued.

On the other side of the aisle, Peter Gerardi told ABC 6 News that he thinks the state should be focusing its energy elsewhere.

“The ridiculousness of that ban is like almost as bad as the straw ban that we had, like it doesn’t make any sense, there’s way too much plastic waste in supermarkets that the bags just seems like there’s no point to it like there are other things they could be working on and doing,” Gerardi said.

The Department of Environmental Management is responsible for enforcing the change, saying it’s part of a larger mission to help the environment and decrease microplastic pollution.

Stores that choose not to comply with the new law will face fines starting at $100.