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2 Maine Towns Ban Plastic Shopping Bags

FREEPORT, Maine - Voters in two Maine towns say they are finished with single-use plastic shopping bags.

Kennebunk and Freeport residents both voted to ban the bags. Kennebunk's ban applies to all single-use plastic shopping bags, while the Freeport ban applies only to food and grocery stores.

York became Maine's first town to ban plastic shopping bags last year. Several communities in the state have imposed 5-cent fees on plastic and paper shopping bags.

Freeport's ban does not apply to non-food retailers such as L.L. Bean, which has its flagship store in the town.

The Portland Press Herald reports that Kennebunk's plastic bag ordinance was developed after local fifth grader Bella Rossborough and her classmates released a report on reactions to similar bans aimed at reducing waste.