Any person engaged in retail sales shall provide only reusable bags and/or recyclable paper bags as checkout bags to customers. Nothing in this section shall preclude persons engaged in retail sales from making reusable bags available for sale to customers.

Operative date.
This article shall become operative six months following its effective date (9-19-2008)to allow retail establishments to dispose of their existing inventory of plastic checkout bags and convert to alternative packaging materials.

Notification; issuance of citations.
Upon notification that a violation exists, the Conservation Department will investigate and verify the noncompliance. The Conservation Department is authorized to enforce this article as follows:

Notification of violation.
The Conservation Department shall provide written notice to any person who violates this article. The notice of violation shall state the violation and the date by which said violation shall be remedied. Upon the failure to remedy the violation or commence corrective action to the satisfaction of the Conservation Department within the time specified in the notice, the Conservation Department shall issue a citation as provided for in Subsection hereof. Repeat offenders shall be issued additional citations without first receiving a notice of

. Additional citations shall be issued no more frequently than 90 days following a prior citation.

Citation issuance.
The Conservation Department shall issue a citation when a violation persists beyond the date by which the Conservation Department required that the violation be remedied or beyond the date that corrective action be commenced. The citation shall state:

A description of the violation.
The initial fine of $150.00 plus such other penalties, costs and/or fees due for each violation.
That after four days from the date of the citation, each day thereafter that the violator has not sent notification of compliance to the Conservation Department shall constitute a separate violation and shall be subject to an additional $150.00 fine.
That the uncontested payment of such fine(s), penalties, costs and/or fees shall be made within ten days of the date of the citation. That such person may contest the liability before a citation hearing officer by delivering in person or by mail within ten days of the date of the citation a written demand for a hearing.
That if such a hearing is not demanded, it shall be deemed an admission of liability and an assessment and judgment shall be entered against the person, and that such judgment may issue without further notice.

Amount of fine; continuing violations.
The fine for each violation shall be $150.00, and shall be payable to the Town.
Each occurrence of a violation, and each day that such violation continues, shall constitute a separate violation and shall be subject to a separate fine and may be cited as such.
The person to whom a citation has been issued shall be responsible for reporting, in writing, subsequent compliance to the Conservation Department. Until such time, the fine(s) shall continue to be imposed on a daily basis.

Greenwich, CT's Plastic Ordinance 2018

Reusable checkout bag ordinance.

Prohibition on the distribution of a plastic checkout bag.
No business establishment shall provide or sell a plastic checkout bag to a consumer in the Town of Greenwich.
No business establishment shall provide or sell a plastic checkout bag at any Town facility, Town-managed concession, Town-sponsored or Town-permitted event unless otherwise permitted by the Conservation Commission.

Prohibition on the distribution of a paper checkout bag.
No business establishment shall provide or sell a paper checkout bag that does not have specifications that it does not contain old growth fiber and a minimum of forty percent (40%) post-consumer recycled content, and is one hundred percent (100%) recyclable, and has printed in a highly visible manner on the bag the words "Reusable" and "Recyclable.

Acceptable checkout bags.
A business establishment may provide consumers with a recycled paper checkout bag.
A business establishment may sell consumers a reusable checkout bag, but for not less than the cost of a recycled paper checkout bag.
Nothing in this Ordinance shall prohibit a business establishment from encouraging and providing incentives for the use of reusable checkout bags. A business establishment may use credits or rebates for consumers that bring their own checkout bags for the purpose of carrying away goods.
Nothing in this Ordinance shall prohibit consumers from using bags or containers, of any type, at the point of checkout that they have brought to a business establishment for the purpose of carrying away goods.

Violations, penalties and enforcement.
Violation of any of the requirements of this Ordinance [Article] shall be subject to the penalties set forth in this Section.
If the Conservation Commission or its designee determines that a violation of this Ordinance [Article] has occurred, the Conservation Commission or its designee shall issue a written warning notice to the business establishment for the initial violation.
If the Conservation Commission or its designee determines that an additional violation of this Ordinance [Article] has occurred after a written warning notice has been issued for an initial violation, the Conservation Commission or its designee shall issue a notice of infraction and shall impose a penalty against the business establishment.
The penalty imposed by the Conservation Commission or its designee shall be as follows for each violation that occurs after the issuance of the written warning notice for an initial violation:
One hundred fifty ($150.00) dollars for the second violation;
Two hundred fifty ($250.00) dollars for the third violation and each subsequent violation.

Effective date.
This Ordinance [Article] shall become effective six (6) months after its approval by the RTM (3/12/2018) to allow business establishments time to work through their existing inventory of plastic checkout bags and convert to alternative checkout bag materials that comply with this Ordinance.

Expiration.
This Ordinance [Article] shall cease to be effective on September 12, 2021, unless sooner extended by action of the Representative Town Meeting.

Stamford, CT's Plastic Ordinance 2018

A. Disposable carryout bags made of plastic shall not be sold or distributed by a retail establishment in the City of Stamford.
B. Disposable carryout bags made of paper shall:
1. Be 100% recyclable;
2. Contain a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content; and
3. Conspicuously Display the phrase "Please Recycle This Bag", or a substantially similar phrase.
Establishment of Charge.
A. Any person and/or retail establishment engaged in retail sales that elects to lawfully provide disposable carryout bags made of paper consistent with Section 4(B) of this Chapter shall charge the consumer at the point of purchase $.10 for each disposable carryout bag made of paper.
B. The charge imposed by any person and/or retail establishment as reflected in Paragraph A of this Section shall be retained solely by the person and/or retail establishment.
C. All retail establishments shall indicate on the consumer transaction receipt the number of disposable carryout bags provided and the total amount of charge imposed. It shall be a violation of this Chapter for the retail establishment to fail to separately itemize the charge upon a customer's purchase of such bag.

Exemptions.
A. The charge reflected above shall not apply to the extent it would violate the laws of the United States or the State of Connecticut.
B. The charge reflected above shall not apply to the retail sale or use of disposable carryout bags that are used to carry items purchased pursuant to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or a similar governmental food assistance program.
C. It shall be presumed that disposable carryout bags sold or used by retail establishments are subject to the charge imposed above until the contrary is established. The burden of proving that such carryout bags are not chargeable hereunder shall be upon the person so claiming.

Enforcement and penalties for violation.
A. This Article shall be enforced by the Civil Citation process as set forth in Section 97 of the Code of Ordinances.
B. If a Civil Citation Officer determines that any violation has occurred, the person and/or retail establishment shall be liable for the following:
1. Upon the 1st violation, written warning notice that a violation has occurred shall be issued to the person and/or retail establishment. No penalty shall be imposed for the 1st violation.
2. Upon subsequent violations of any kind, the Civil Citation Officer shall impose a penalty of $250 on the person and/or retail establishment.
C. No more than one penalty shall be imposed upon a person and/or retail establishment within a 7-day period.
D. Revenues collected through citations for violation of this act shall be used solely for enforcement costs, including hiring inspectors and other staff, and

Operative date.
This ordinance shall become operative six months following its effective date to allow retail establishments to dispose of their existing inventory of plastic carryout bags and convert to alternative packaging materials compliant with this ordinance.

Weston, CT's Plastic Ordinance 2018

Use Regulations; Exception