Maine House Votes To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Senate has given its initial approval to a bill to ban single-use plastic bags.
The Senate voted 24-11 Tuesday to ban single-use plastic bags statewide. The House voted 91-52 Thursday last week. The bill faces another round of legislative action in both chambers.
 
Retailers support Maine's bill to allow stores to provide recyclable paper bags for at least 5 cents. California and New York have similar bans and states including Massachusetts have recently considering such bills.
 
Democratic Sen. Brownie Carson says the legislation follows extensive negotiation with retailer groups who say a statewide law is better than a patchwork of local laws.
 
Several dozen Maine municipalities already ban single-use plastic bags.
 
Earlier this month, Maine became the first state to ban single-use food and drink foam containers.