Dartmouth Town Meeting Could Partially Ban Plastic Grocery Bags

DARTMOUTH - Town Meeting members in Dartmouth will take up 27 articles Tuesday.

Members will be asked to approve funding for several projects through the Community Preservation Committee, an $86.5 million operating budget for Fiscal Year 2019, and other matters.

Among the more polarizing articles is a proposed restriction of thin-film plastic bags, which would prohibit retailers that have a gross floor area of at least 5,000 square feet from providing to customers any thin-film plastic bags commonly used to place groceries in. The ban would not apply to products that are pre-packaged in thin-film plastic bags.

If approved, the eco-friendly policy would go into effect one year after it is approved by the Attorney General, and would be subject to a fine of $200 per violation.

Town Meeting gets underway at 9 a.m. at the Dartmouth Middle School auditorium.