Prairie State Wire

During the coronavirus outbreak, shoppers will see their bagging behaviors challenged – including their reusable bags habits. 

Many shoppers have recently switched to reusable bags because of bans on single-use plastic and paper bags, but concerns over the coronavirus have led government officials and stores to change their tune on which bags are permissible.

On March 25, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced that residents would not be allowed to use reusable shopping bags as part of the state’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The same day, Boston’s mayor lifted the plastic bag restriction in the city, When shoppers use store-provided plastic or paper bags, they will no longer be subjected to the mandated five-cent surcharge. More than 100 municipalities in the state have regulations on the use of single use plastic bags. 

Massachusetts is not the only state with a reusable bag ban initiated by the COVID-19 crisis. New Hampshire also announced that shoppers must use single-use paper or plastic bags during the pandemic. Maine has postponed their own plastic bag ban as well, according to Grist.

In March 2019, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law banning plastic bags and instituting a state-level tax of seven cents per bag, although Chicago residents and businesses are exempt because of a preexisting bag tax. Oregon, Maine, Connecticut, Delaware and Vermont also enacted plastic bag bans in 2019. The District of Columbia enacted similar legislation in 2009 requiring that businesses charge for paper and plastic bags. Several other states have created plastic bag recycling rules or programs for plastic bags, too.   

The National Conference of State Legislatures notes that 95 bills were introduced in 2019 regarding the use of, or fees for use of, single-use plastic and paper bags in shopping centers, or to improve bag recycling programs.