The legislation comes after Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have already banned the use of such bags in stores.
Pennsylvania State Senator Judith Schwank, a Democrat of Berks County, plans to introduce legislation that would ban stores across the state from providing single-use plastic bags at the checkout.
The legislation would allow retailers to provide paper bags for a small fee and encourage patrons to bring their own reusable bags to the store.
In Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, single-use plastic bags are already banned. Schwank’s legislation would apply the standard to the entire Commonwealth.
“It’s not so much to be an inconvenience to us, it’s to reduce waste,” the senator said.
She explained that the idea for the legislation came from student activists she represents that were looking for a way to reduce waste and protect the environment. She said, “There was a group of high school students who came to one of my town hall meetings in Whyomissing and they presented this idea to me, that we should have a plastic bag ban similar to what’s done in other states.”
New York, Delaware, and New Jersey have single-use plastic bag bans in place.
“We know that it doesn’t break down very easily; it could take hundreds of years. And if it does get ripped apart into tiny pieces, that gets into our water and soil,” Schwank said.
Schwank’s co-sponsor memo says the bill would allow plastic bags to be used for essential items such as produce, frozen foods, and medications.
Schwank has put out a co-sponsor memo to her colleagues, but it is unclear when the legislation will be formally introduced in the state legislature.
