Prohibitions on single-use plastic bags take effect Tuesday in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital city. The ban, which makes Providence the 11th municipality in the Ocean State to enact restrictions on plastic bags, could lead to opportunities for promotional products distributors to sell branded reusable alternatives, like totes, in the local market.

On Earth Day (April 22), Providence City Council voted to approve an ordinance that institutes the ban. “It’s sending a good strong message that we need to get plastic bags out of our single-stream recycling system and also just reduce our dependency on plastic bags,” Council Majority Leader (Ward 5) Jo-Ann Ryan said at the time, according to WPRI.

Under the city’s ordinance, retailers may not offer single-use plastic bags at checkout counters, unless the bags qualify for an exemption. Exempted plastic bags include those used to transport produce, as well as laundry bags, dry-cleaning bags and bags that contain or wrap frozen foods, meat or fish.

Tomorrow, retailers in #PVD will no longer be providing single-use plastic bags at the point of sale. What can retailers use instead? Reusable bags with stitched handles and/or 100% recycled paper bags. For more info on the Bag Ban, visit https://t.co/1uCMMEatGw or dial 311.

— Jorge Elorza (@Jorge_Elorza) October 21, 2019

Recyclable paper bags and reusable bags are allowed. The latter opens the door for promo product pros to sell more reusable bags to businesses and other organizations that could see increased opportunity to get their branding in the public eye as locals look for shopping totes.

Looking ahead, East Providence, RI figures to become the 12th municipality in Rhode Island to implement a single-use plastic bag ban when prohibitions go on the books next month. While Rhode Island’s Senate passed a bill banning the bags statewide back in June, the legislative effort petered out in the House, nixing the prohibitions at an across-the-state level for the time being.

Statewide prohibitions on single-use plastic bags exist in Vermont, Maine, California, New York and Hawaii. Indeed, a growing number of municipalities, cities and states, as well as countries, are considering or actively trying to ban single-use plastic bags. The motivation is environmental. Ban proponents say the bags present a threat to wildlife and cause litter and pollution. The world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic each year, according to Statista, and scientists estimate that up to 91% of plastic is never recycled.

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