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Businesses donate over 1,500 reusable bags to Rowley residents
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated town hall was a pick-up location.
ROWLEY — Those trips to Market Basket will look a little different next month, as plastic bags will no longer be available to put your groceries in.
To help residents get ready, an ad hoc group called the Rowley Plastic Bag Reduction Coalition will hand out free reusable bags.
“Though many shoppers in Rowley already use reusable bags, we realized some members of our community might need assistance to make the transition,” says coalition member Terri Davidson.
“We started asking local businesses if they had surplus reusable bags they would be willing to donate, and they overwhelmingly wanted to help. We are proud of this community-business partnership and look forward to future collaborative efforts. We hope to provide free reusable bags to as many Rowley residents as possible who want them.”
EBSCO and ReVision Energy jump-started the campaign with significant donations, the Coalition said in an announcement.
Other businesses and nonprofits also contributed bags: Choice Graphics, Friends of the Rowley Library, Market Basket, Open Door Pantry, Rowley Animal Hospital, Rowley Realty, and Salem Five Bank.
An anonymous benefactor also donated 500 reusable bags that will be given to every Pine Grove School student at the start of school, Davidson said.
Laura DiPersia, a coalition member, is optimistic about the impact of the bylaw.
“As a parent, I see our kids taking the issue of plastics in our oceans and environment seriously,” she said.
“Watching this young generation rise to the occasion to reduce waste in various ways makes this new bylaw even more significant.”
Rowley plastic bag ban
The coalition will offer free reusable bags at
- the Rowley Council of Aging Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, August 29, at 11:30 a.m. at the Senior Center and
- the Rowley Farmer’s Market on Sunday, September 3.
The public is welcome to pick up bags at either event. Approved bag pick-up locations include the library, the senior center, and the Rowley Food Pantry.
On September 8, Rowley retailers will no longer be able to offer single-use plastic bags at checkout.
Rowley voters passed the bylaw at the 2022 annual town meeting.
The town is now one of 159 Massachusetts municipalities that have passed similar laws. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled.
The Rowley Coalition said the bylaw “will make a notable impact in reducing waste for many communities because the town is a regional shopping hub.”
For more information about getting or contributing bags, please email rowleyreduce@gmail.com.
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