When it comes to banning single-use plastic bags, it appears the ninth time might just be the charm for Baltimore. And, that could potentially be a good thing for the promotional products industry.

Since 2006, proposed bans on plastic bags have been introduced nine times among Baltimore’s local lawmakers. All previous attempts died on the vine.

However, on Monday, Baltimore’s City Council voted 13-1 to give preliminary approval to a bill that would ban retailers from providing customers with plastic bags, according to The Baltimore Sun. A final vote, expected to come soon, is required to send the bill to the mayor’s desk for signing. Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has indicated he would either sign off or allow the bill to take effect without his signature.

Under the preliminarily approved prohibitions, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, restaurants, gas stations and the like would not be allowed to provide plastic bags of four-thousandths of an inch thickness or less to customers. There are a few exceptions: Plastic bags used for carrying fresh fish/meat/produce, newspapers, dry cleaning and prescription drugs are still allowed. Under the rules, retailers would also be obligated to charge a 5-cent fee for other bags provided, such as those made of paper. Retailers keep 4 cents of the fee; 1 cent goes to the city of Baltimore.

Baltimore City Council approves bill to ban retailers’ use of plastic bags, set 5-cent fee per paper baghttps://t.co/qsWKDJ1x3c

— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) November 5, 2019

Baltimore’s pending plastic bag ban could spark sales opportunities for promotional products distributors in and around the Maryland city of more than 600,000 people. Should the ban take hold, locals will be looking for reliable, reusable bags for shopping. That’s a significant advertising opportunity for businesses and other organizations to step in and provide free or relatively inexpensive quality branded totes. Smart distributors will look to market this idea to prospects and current clients.

In recent years, momentum behind bans on single-use plastic bags has been growing at the local and statewide levels. Advocates want the bags outlawed because, they say, the disposables cause pollution and litter and are a threat to wildlife. Statewide prohibitions on single-use plastic bags exist in Vermont, Maine, California, New York and Hawaii. A ban on single-use plastic bags took effect in Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, in October. Philadelphia, the sixth-largest city by population in the United States, is also looking to ban single-use plastic bags. Still, some environmental advocates have criticized what they say is a recently weakened version of the ban in Philly.

Product Hub
Find the latest in quality products, must-know trends and fresh ideas for upcoming end-buyer campaigns.