TURNER STATION, Md. — For now, those wispy, plastic bags remain both free and convenient for shoppers in Baltimore County, but not for long.
“It’s a pain, you know, because this is convenient for me,” said Dolly Davis of Dundalk, “Like walking. I can balance myself out with two bags.”
But too many of those bags are taking a toll on the environment, and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski signed a bill into law at the Turner Station Park Pavilion on Friday, outlawing those bags starting on November 1.
“We know that plastic bags have littered our streets and green spaces, damaged our waterways and have been a nuisance in our landfills for far too long,” said Olszewski. “This bill will cut down on the nearly one million single-use, plastic bags that Baltimore County residents use almost every single day.”
The new plastic bag ban will affect all of the major retailers, but so-called ‘mom and pops’ with less than four locations who aren’t part of franchises will be exempt.
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Instead of of the lightweight plastic, customers will have the option of buying paper bags for a nickel a piece or bringing their own reusable bags, and environmentalists are applauding the measure.
“Next, we’re going to go for straws and plastic spoons and forks. There’s so much we can do to help this county,” said Deborah “Spice” Kleinmann, chair of the Greater Baltimore Group of Sierra.
Not that everyone appreciates the help.
“I think they’re infringing on everything,” said Davis. “That’s little things. It’s crazy.”
The county has pledged to provide free, reusable bags to those who can least afford them before the lightweight ones become illegal.
