The above title could apply in West Chester, where Borough Council is holding a hearing on July 17, 6:30 p.m., at 401 E. Gay St., about its planned adoption of an ordinance entitled “Plastic Bag and Plastic Straw Regulations” (download here: https://wcgreenteam.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/plastic-bag-and-straw-ordinance-wc-for-7-17-19.pdf) for the following purpose:

The purpose of this Chapter is to reduce the use of single-use, plastic carry-out bags and single-use, plastic straws by commercial establishments within the Borough of West Chester, curb litter on the streets, in the parks, and in the trees, protect the local streams, rivers, waterways and other aquatic environments, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce solid waste generation, promote the use of reusable, compostable, and recyclable materials within the Borough of West Chester, and to preserve the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the Borough of West Chester.

Meanwhile, “Plastic-bag ban introduced in Council,” by Frank Kummer and Ellie Rushing, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/21/19 is about our neighbor to the east, Philadelphia:

A sweeping ban on single-use plastic bags was introduced Thursday in Philadelphia City Council in a bill that would also impose a relatively hefty 15-cent fee on any recyclable paper bag or other reusable bags a merchant might provide to a customer.

The ban, if adopted, would apply to supermarkets, convenience stores, service stations, department stores, dollar stores, clothing stores, restaurants, food trucks, farmers’ markets, dry cleaners, and delivery service.

That means you won’t be able to get a plastic bag to hold your goods at ShopRite, Wawa, or Macy’s without paying extra for it. The money collected from the fee would go to the merchant, not the city.

The bill, crafted by Councilman Mark Squilla, would make Philadelphia’s ban a hybrid of similar ordinances around the region and country, because it combines both a ban and a heavier-than-usual fee. Ordinances attempting to regulate single-use plastic bags, and there are now hundreds around the U.S., typically either impose an outright ban or a 5- or 10-cent fee on the bags….

Read more at Philadelphia Inquirer