Del. Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect

The new year brings a ban on single-use plastic bags at many Delaware establishments.

Delawareans have been encouraged to use reusable bags for grocery shopping. They should be cleaned and disinfected between uses.

There are some exceptions: small stores with one or two locations are not subject to the ban on single-use plastic bags, and restaurants can still use them. Retailers may offer thicker plastic bags that are designed to be used again, paper bags or cloth bags at the point of sale, and may charge the customer for them.

According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources, about 2,400 tons of plastic bags ended up in landfills each year, and each Delawarean used about 434 plastic bags.