We, the voters of the town of York, petition to ban the use of single-­use plastic bags at the point of sale.

Single-use plastic bags are an environmental hazard both on a local and global level. In Maine 600 million plastic bags are used annually. Of these bags, 5% are recycled: the rest end up in landfills, along roadways, and in our oceans.

It is important that the York Board of Selectmen create policies that will protect our rivers and beaches. Plastic bags can be replaced with two environmentally friendly options: paper and reusable bags. Paper bags decompose and are easy to recycle while reusable bags are environmentally friendly due to their longevity. Cities and towns across the United States, such as Brookline, MA and San Francisco, CA, have already taken action. ­­ Now it is our turn! To curb the damage to the environment by plastic bags and to encourage the use of reusable bags please support the following:

In York, Maine, all single­-use plastic bags provided to the customer at the point of sale are hereby banned and are to be replaced by biodegradable single-­use bags (i.e. paper) and reusable bags. A $0.05 fee on each single-­use paper bag provided to the customer is to be assessed at the point of sale. This fee is to be collected by the retailer to cover the cost of providing paper bags. A retailer must provide reusable bags for purchase by a customer.