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Town of Sharon’s plastic bag ban bylaw

The Town of Sharon’s plastic bag ban bylaw passed at the Annual Town Meeting held May 6, 2019 and was approved by the Attorney General on July 22, 2019.

The bylaw will be fully implemented as of August 20, 2021. Click here to read the full bylaw. “Check-out” bags provided by retail establishments in Sharon must be a reusable check-out bag or a recyclable paper bag. Paper bags used must be 100% recyclable and made with at least 40% post-consumer recycled material and the bag must be labeled with this information to comply with the bylaw.  Learn more about this bylaw by viewing the following documents:

This ban does not include bags used for produce or meats, bulk foods, wet items, newspapers, dry cleaning, and other similar merchandise. Enforcement will be conducted by the Health Department, which will conduct bi-annual inspections (on the same schedule as the food safety inspections), or when a complaint has been received. Violators of the plastic bag ban will include a written warning for the first offense, a $50 fine for the second offense, and a $100 fine for a third and any subsequent offenses.

Retail establishments may apply for a one-time temporary waiver for up to 6 months for an “undue” hardship, such as additional time to draw down existing inventory of single-use plastic check-out bags. To apply for the waiver, please click the following link: Request for waiver

Retail establishments affected by this bylaw are defined as any business facility that sells goods directly to the consumer whether for or not for profit, including, but not limited to: retail stores, restaurants, pharmacies, convenience and grocery stores, liquor stores, seasonal and temporary businesses.