Following Portland's recently passed plastics ordinance, the town of Kennebunk may be the next to impose a fee on the ubiquitous plastic shopping bags provided by retailers.
But Kennebunk would be taking a slightly different approach.
On advice from the Board of Selectman, the town's Energy Efficiency Committee will draft language for a non-binding resolution that could go to voters in the fall, if approved by the board. They say they want to get an idea of what voters think before pushing ahead.
A spokesman for the town says the fee would be retained by the merchant providing the bag, and unlike Portland's ordinance, probably would not include a fee for paper bags.
The Surfrider Foundation, a conservation group which led the charge in Portland's plastics ordinance, says the plastic shopping bags wind up in the ocean, where they clutter the marine environment and harm sea life.
