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Pittsfield Prepares To Enforce Plastic Bag Ban Jan. 1st

A plastic bag
Josh Landes
/
WAMC

New Year’s Day is ringing in a new plastic bag ban in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. As of January 1st, businesses won’t be allowed to offer thin film plastic bags at checkout in Berkshire County’s largest community – unless the bags are biodegradable. The city council passed the ordinance in March after a version of the ban existed in limbo as a petition for almost six years. WAMC spoke with Pittsfield’s Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager Jim McGrath about how the restriction will be implemented.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018 after working at stations including WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Berkshire County, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. You can reach him at jlandes@wamc.org with questions, tips, and/or feedback.
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