Selectboard member Ann Manwaring says the town of Wilmington is considering a proposal to ban plastic bags and will take up the issue at its next meeting.
“The conversation on plastic bags went well,” Manwaring said. “The next steps are for the town manager to craft a draft ordinance for the full board to consider.”
A Brattleboro ordinance that bans certain single-use plastic bags went into effect earlier this summer, and the towns of Peru, Middlebury and Montpelier have also been considering the change.
Under Brattleboro’s ordinance, single-use bags that are 2.25 mils thick or less are prohibited. Retailers can be issued a warning notice for using such bags, but a third violation carries a fine of up to $50.
More from VPR — Brattleboro Officially Says 'See Ya' To Single-Use Plastic Bags [July 6]
Wilmington Works is a downtown development group and its program coordinator, Meg Staloff, said shop owners support the idea.
“Most of what people said was, ‘Look, this is the way things are going. You know, we can be ahead of the curve or we can follow along,’” Staloff said. “And I think most people did not oppose the ban.”
Last year, Vermont lawmakers introduced bills related to carryout plastic bags — one that would create a statewide ban and one that would impose a fee on the use of the bags — but neither were taken up by the full Legislature.
