On December 6, Newtown Township’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that bans the use of single-use plastic bags, single-use plastic straws, and single-use plastic utensils by retail establishments located within the township, writes Damon C. Williams for the Bucks County Courier Times.

The use of expanded polystyrene food service products is also on the list of banned products.

“We’ve talked to over 115 businesses and created a business list on which we send out notices to businesses,” said Supervisor Elen Snyder.

“I’d say 95 percent of businesses have already done this, and the others are willing to comply, including the big chain stores. We’ve worked very hard on this for the past four years.”

The ban went into effect last week. Businesses have a 120-day grace period to comply. Business owners who fail to comply with the ordinance can be fined up to $200.

For shoppers, this change means that they will either have to bring reusable bags from home or buy one at the store, if they are available.

Before Newtown, Doylestown, and Solebury adopted similar resolutions in Bucks County to try and reduce the use of plastic.

Read more about Newtown’s plastic ban in the Bucks County Courier Times.

How plastic bags were supposed to help the planet