Massachusetts Senate advances single-use plastic bag ban, adds $0.10 paper fee
The bill, House Bill H.1019, now faces additional procedural steps before it can reach the governor’s desk.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Massachusetts Senate voted in May 2026 to advance a bill that would ban single-use plastic carryout bags statewide and require retailers to charge customers at least $0.10 for each recycled paper bag at checkout. Under the measure, half of that fee would go to a new state environmental fund, while the other half would stay with the retailer. The bill, House Bill H.1019, now faces additional procedural steps before it can reach the governor’s desk.
If enacted, the law would eliminate the thin plastic bags handed out at grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience shops across the state. It would also create a uniform standard to replace the patchwork of local ordinances that more than 140 Massachusetts municipalities have already adopted on their own.
How the ban and fee would work
The bill’s language is specific. Retailers would be prohibited from offering any carryout bag other than a recycled paper bag or a reusable bag that meets durability standards defined in the legislation. Those durability requirements are designed to prevent stores from simply swapping thin plastic for a slightly thicker version that still ends up in the trash.
Customers who need a bag would pay at least $0.10 per recycled paper bag. Retailers cannot waive or absorb the charge. Of each dime collected, $0.05 must be remitted to the Department of Revenue for deposit into what the bill calls the Plastics Environmental Protection Fund. The remaining $0.05 stays with the store to offset the cost of stocking paper bags.
That structure gives the policy two levers: a financial nudge for shoppers to bring reusable bags, and a dedicated revenue stream for environmental programs that does not rely on broad-based taxes.
Courtesy: www.msn.com