Upper Merion and Upper Moreland Township ban single

Jun 23, 2023

Last week, the Upper Merion Board of Supervisors and the Upper Moreland Board of Commissioners each passed new legislation which will ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags in their townships.

This comes on the heels of Lower Merion Township which passed similar important legislation on June 21, and West Norriton Township passed a similar ban in November 2022.

Through this action, Upper Moreland and Upper Merion become the 19th and 20th municipalities respectively in Pennsylvania to pass legislation in the growing effort to rein in single-use plastics. These measures set strong standards for halting the sale or distribution of single-use plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, corner stores, and other retailers. The ordinances also put fees on the distribution of paper bags and set recycled content requirements.

Both ordinances also include bans on expanded foam polystyrene containers. They are the sixth and seventh municipalities in Pennsylvania to tackle this important and damaging form of waste. Upper Merion also included a ban on the distribution of plastic utensils.

“After four years of working on an ordinance to reduce plastic pollution and consumption in Upper Merion, the Board of Supervisors unanimously supported the EAC’s proposed ordinance to adopt new single-use product regulations in the community,” said Zachary Davis, chair of the Upper Merion Environmental Advisory Council: “This will lead to a cleaner, safer community for all residents and visitors, while showing that Upper Merion is committed to leading in environmental excellence.”

Upper Merion’s ordinance covers the King of Prussia Mall, the largest mall in Pennsylvania and the fifth largest in the United States.

“Mitigating the effects of climate change and global warming will take societal change. Banning plastic bags is an effective way to increase the usage of reusable options – reducing the need for single use plastics that can take decades, if not hundreds of years, to decompose,” said State Senator Amanda Cappelletti, whose district includes Upper and Lower Merion, “Upper Merion is taking a critical step to create a more sustainable future for all of us by joining the other municipalities across our region that have banned the usage of plastic bags and polystyrene foam containers.”

Plastic pollution is one of the most common forms of litter, and plastic bags in particular pose a great harm to the environment. PennEnvironment estimates that Lower Merion residents use 23.2 million single-use plastic bags every year while Upper Merion residents use nearly 12 million and Upper Moreland residents use approximately 9 million annually. These ordinances are strong first steps on the path to curbing plastic waste in the townships and in Montgomery County.

“I want to thank Upper and Lower Merion and everyone in the community who made their voice heard for taking this bold step in our fight against single-use plastics,” said State Representative Tim Briggs. “We need more communities to join this effort and help rein in the pollution from polystyrene and plastic bags.”

PennEnvironment worked with the EACs and Townships to draft their respective ordinances. They are in-part based on model legislation that was adapted for each Township.

PennEnvironment’s Zero Waste Advocate Faran Savitz issued the following statement in response to the announcement:

“PennEnvironment applauds Upper and Lower Merion and Upper Moreland townships for taking this crucial step to address pollution from single-use plastics. This is a major advancement in the fight to rein in the scourge of rampant plastic pollution that plagues our neighborhoods, our local parks and green spaces, and our rivers, streams, and oceans.

“Plastic bags are the poster child for the environmental harm caused by single-use plastics. Nothing we use for a few minutes, such as single-use plastic bags, should be allowed to litter our communities, pollute our environment, and fill our landfills and incinerators for hundreds of years to come. This sends a strong message that Montgomery County is a leader in the effort to tackle litter and single-use plastic pollution.”

“Legislation to tackle plastic bag pollution is broadly supported by Pennsylvanians, and we’ve seen the wealth of support from residents who care deeply about this issue calling for action. With this vote, Lower Merion, Upper Merion, and Upper Moreland join hundreds of cities across the nation that have already implemented similar legislation. From those laws, we know these policies work. By dramatically reducing the distribution, we dramatically reduce the pollution.”

“Every resident has had the experience of watching plastic bags blowing down our streets and through our neighborhoods, seeing plastic bags stuck in curbside trees and bushes, or in our parks and other outdoor places we love. It’s so exciting that PA has hit the milestone of 20 bag bans passed. With the passage of bag bans in these townships, it shows the incredible leadership coming from local officials in Montgomery County in the fight against plastic waste and pollution.”

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