Friday, April 5, 2013
Legislation to ban plastic shopping bags that has been introduced in the RI General Assembly backed up by a petition with thousands of signatures.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, April 5
Barrington’s ban on plastic bags has spread to the State House. Environment Rhode Island yesterday presented lawmakers with more than 7,300 signatures on a petition in support of legislation sponsored by Rep. Maria Cimini and Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush to ban plastic bags at store checkouts in Rhode Island. The bill is based partly on the ban that went into effect Jan. 1 in Barrington, which this year became the first community in Rhode Island to ban plastic bags, and partly on a similar ban that is in place in Los Angeles – which also includes a 10-cent charge for paper bags. Rhode Island should be among the leaders in the movement to ban plastic bags, said Rep. Cimini. “As the Ocean State, we depend on the quality and beauty of our …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The Barrington Town Council asks the Conservation Commission, which pushed for the plastic grocery bag ban, to keep an eye on its impact.
The same board that introduced and then fought for the plastic grocery bag ban in Barrington has been asked to keep an eye on its impact on the town. The Conservation Commission was charged by the Town Council on Monday night with showing the bag ban’s impact on businesses and residents alike. The ban went into effect on New Year's Day for two years. The vote was unanimous, 5-0, to hand that task over to the same board that pushed for the ban. “Tell us how things are going twice a year,” said Barrington Town Councilor Cynthia Coyne, who put the item on Monday night’s agenda. Other towns will be looking at Barrington, said Coyne, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the program. “We are among the leaders now on this issue,” she said. How …
Monday, January 7, 2013
A bag on plastic grocery and takeout bags began on Jan. 1 in Barrington. What else would you ban here?
Barrington's ban on plastic grocery and takeout bags began on Jan. 1. It grew out of a Barrington professor's concern about the impact of the bags on the environment. Other municipalities in New England have banned bottles (Concord, Mass.), plastic bags and Styrofoam cups (Brookline, Mass.) and seasonal leaf blowers (Arlington, Mass.). Most schools ban peanut butter or peanut-based foods and most have switched over to healthy snacks and drinks in vending machines. The bans all started somewhere with someone. Maybe with you? Is there an item you would want to see banned out of concern for the environment, health or quality of life? Let us know in the comments section below.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Barrington merchants and restaurants must use paper shopping bags and can offer cloth reusable bags for whatever price they can sell them.
Plastic shopping bags are banned in Barrington starting today, Jan. 1, for at least two-plus years. And most merchants appear to be ready for the transition from plastic to paper or cloth bags. Plastic bags were still in evidence at stores early Monday afternoon. But the managers at all the stores and restaurants visited had new stocks of paper bags ready to hold merchandise or carry takeout orders. Several merchants, such as Shaw's supermarket and Center ACE Hardware, actually have been phasing out plastic bags for several months -- the time period given by the Town Council to transition to paper or cloth bags. Chain stores simply shipped leftover plastic bags to other nearby stores, several managers said. The CVS store in the Barrington …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Town Council approved an amended ordinance Monday night, Oct. 1, that bans plastic grocery bags in Barrington, but only for about two years because of a "sunset" provision.
Plastic grocery bags are banned in Barrington for at least two-plus years. On a split 4-1 vote Monday night, Oct. 1, the Town Council approved an ordinance that bans plastic grocery and takeout bags beginning Jan. 1. The three-month "grace period" allows retail stores to use up their supply of plastic bags. A "sunset" provision added to the draft ordinance creates an expiration date for the law -- Jan. 31, 2015. The law will have to be revisited again at that time. Town Council President June Speakman, Vice President Jeff Brenner, and Councilors Kate Weymouth and Cynthia Coyne voted for banning the bags. Councilor Bill DeWitt cast the only nay vote. The vote also split on political lines: four Democrats in favor and one Republican opposed…
Monday, October 1, 2012
The Town Council votes 4-1 to ban the use of plastic grocery and takeout bags beginning Jan. 1 for at least two years; town is believed to be the second community in New England to ban bags.
Plastic grocery bags are banned in Barrington for at least two-plus years. On a split 4-1 vote, the Town Council approved an ordinance that bans plastic grocery and takeout bags. The ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 1. A "sunset" provision was added to the ordinance to create an expiration date -- Jan. 31, 2015. The law will be revisited again at that time. Town Council President June Speakman, Vice President Jeff Brenner, and Councilors Kate Weymouth and Cynthia Coyne voted for banning the bags. Councilor Bill DeWitt cast the only nay vote. The vote also split on political lines: four Democrats in favor and one Republican opposed. The vote also is believed to make Barrington the second community in New England to ban the bags. Joseph …
The Town Council could decide tonight if plastic grocery and takeout bags will be banned in Barrington; a public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled.
The Town Council is expected to decide tonight, Oct. 1, if it will ban plastic grocery and takeout bags in Barrington. An ordinance that bans the plastic bags was introduced at the council’s September meeting. A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for tonight's meeting at 7 in the Council Chamber in Town Hall. Supporters and opponents are expected to raise many of the same issues made previously at a public workshop on the proposed ban proposed by Conservation Commission member Joseph Roberts and supported by the commission. To this point, the ban on plastic bags has gone down a bit of a bumpy road. The vote in favor of introducing the ordinance, in fact, was 4-1 with one councilor, Jeff Brenner, definitely on the fence. Councilor…
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Town Council votes 4-1 to introduce the ordinance to ban plastic grocery bags; the vote was almost 3-2.
The Town Council introduced on Monday night the ordinance that would ban plastic grocery and takeout bags in Barrington. But the introduction of the ordinance was not unanimous. The vote was 4-1 with Councilor Bill DeWitt casting the lone nay vote. And Town Council Vice President Jeff Brenner almost made the vote 3-2. He said he simply could not vote for the ordinance as drafted because he believes there are many questions that still need answers. Brenner was persuaded, however, by Council President June Speakman that a public hearing on the ordinance in October is the appropriate place to discuss differences of opinion and to get answers to questions and allow additional public input. The ordinance bans plastic bags “to improve the …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
A draft ordinance that would ban plastic grocery and takeout bags in Barrington has been posted in Town Hall; it will be introduced at the Town Council meeting on Sept. 10.
The proposed ordinance to ban plastic grocery and takeout bags in Barrington has been posted in the Town Hall. It includes fines of up to $300 per violation and describes how the ordinance would be enforced – either by the police department or an officer of the town manager. The draft ordinance will be introduced at the Town Council meeting on Monday night, Sept. 10. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held on Oct. 1. If approved by the Town Council, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. The draft ordinance bans plastic bags “to improve the environment in Barrington and the health, safety and welfare of its residents by encouraging the use of reusable checkout bags.” It encourages retailers to offer for sale reusable bags. It does…
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
More than 3 out of 4 voters in a Barrington Patch poll prefer to have a choice of paper, plastic or reusable bags.
More than three out of four voters in a recent Patch poll do not support a ban of plastic grocery and takeout bags in Barrington. The Town Council plans to unveil an ordinance at its next meeting on Monday, Sept. 10, that proposes to ban the bags. A public hearing on the ordinance will then be held at the Town Council’s Oct. 1 meeting. A Patch poll ran from Monday, Aug. 27 through Friday, Aug. 31. Thirty-seven readers voted. Voters could only vote once. Almost 80 percent of them said they do not support a ban. The question was: Should Barrington ban plastic grocery bags? The actual response was: · Yes, recycling still doesn't seem to be working -- 8 votes or 21 percent · No, I want a choice of paper or plastic or reusable bags -- 29 …
Henry Doyle
4:17 pm on Friday, April 5, 2013
Good. These bags are such an eyesore and environmental disaster. There's no need for them, they only came around recently when the oil/plastics industry forced them on us as an alternative to paper bags. Plastics are bad news. Every time I see a plastic bag caught up in some tree branches, I am thankful there is a movement to move away from these awful products, not to mention the damage to fish … more ›