Although the state of Connecticut has passed a plastic bag ban, it doesn’t phase out plastic bags until June 30, 2021. Until then, stores will charge a 10-cents-per-bag tax to go to the state. Wilton’s municipal ban allows for retailers to collect a fee and would be stricter than the state law. Please contact us if you’d like to help with this important initiative.
If you look closely at the Bag Man you will see all kinds of bags and other single use plastic. Here is a partial list…
The Bag Man was mostly made from bags Wilton Go Green collected at the Zero Waste Faire. While our intention was to recycle the bags, many were not recyclable, so we have repurposed them. Some bags were contaminated with paper receipts, stickers, labels or food remnants. Bags should be clean and dry before recycling. Plastic Bags should never be included in the single stream recycling bin as they jam the machinery. When not disposed of properly, they can end up in our rivers and oceans. Several local stores accept plastic bags and other plastic film for recycling. Make sure you check the rules before you put them in the recycling bin to avoid contamination. For more information on recycling plastic bags you can check out these websites: It is estimated that our small State uses between 700 million and 1 billion single use plastic bags each year. Any bags that are put in the trash will go to an incinerator to be burned and the toxic ash is landfilled. We hope that our Bag Man inspires you to consider packaging before you buy and to Bring Your Own Bag whenever you shop.
Air pillows
Cellophane wrapping
Grocery bags
Retail store bags
Wilton Go Green has formed BYO Wilton, a subcommittee dedicating itself to passing a plastic bag ban ordinance in the town of Wilton and educating residents about single-use bags, in theme with our Zero Waste philosophy. There are 17 towns in Connecticut that already have ordinances in place including Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Westport, and Weston. For the full list click here.
Airport gift shop bags
Bread bags
Bubble wrap
Baby store bags
Carrot bags
Cauliflower bags
Citrus bags
Clothing store bags
Dentists’ goody bags
Flatware
Frozen vegetable bags
Gift bags
Hardware store bags
Magazine shipping wrap
Newspaper bags
Paper towel wrap
Party goody bags
Produce bags
Shipping envelopes
Shoe store bags
Snack food bags
Straws
Stretch wrap
Toilet paper wrap
Wine gift bags
