Bag Charge for Fairhaven, MA!

UPDATE JUNE 12, 2021

Article 40 passed at Town Meeting!!

This authorizes the Fairhaven Board of Selectmen to petition the Massachusetts General Court for a special law establishing a minimum 10-cent charge for all new checkout bags distributed in Town. The special law would need to be passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor to go into effect. 

Give a shout to help keep this moving to the next campaign: campaigns@ma.surfrider.org!

NEXT STEPS:

The proposed bag charge authorization appears as Warrant Article 40 on Fairhaven’s 2021 Annual Town Meeting, which is scheduled to start at 9AM on Saturday, June 12, 2021 (with any residual business relating to unfinished Articles reconvening the Town Meeting on June 14 and if needed, June 15th).

Due to the COVID pandemic, the Town Meeting will be held remotely via Zoom. 

Residents of Fairhaven are encouraged to ask Town Meeting members from their precinct to vote in support of Article 40.

Town Meeting members must register at this link at least 1 day prior to Town Meeting (by June 11!) in order to participate (FMI).

The general public may view the Town Meeting online at FairhavenTV.com or via Comcast Channel 18.

HISTORIC ACCOUNT:

MA Chapter volunteers are working to pass Article 40 at Fairhaven’s 2021 Annual Town Meeting to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the state legislature to establish a minimum charge for checkout bags in town. The fee is needed to properly incentivize reusable bags and reduce pollution from disposable bags while reducing costs for both consumers and businesses. The measure is needed due to complex issues surrounding local bag fees in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (learn more and get involved locally by contacting campaigns@ma.surfrider.org).

The measure was initially submitted by the Town Sustainability Committee after receiving a unanimous endorsement from the Board of Selectmen.

If passed, the Article would authorize the Fairhaven Board of Selectmen to petition the Massachusetts General Court for a special law establishing a minimum 10-cent charge for all new checkout bags distributed in Town. The special law would need to be passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor to go into effect.