Going into the first session of the 132nd Legislature, lawmakers have already submitted two bills aimed at rolling back restrictions on the bags available to Mainers at the grocery store.

While one proposed bill aims to do away with the five cent fee on paper grocery bags, another seeks to repeal the law regulating grocery bag usage in its entirety.

LD 56 — An Act to Remove the 5 Cent Fee for Bags in Retail Stores — was sponsored by Rep. Michael H. Lemelin (R-Chelsea) and amends Sec. 1. 38 MRSA §1611 sub-§3 to remove the provision requiring retail establishments to charge five cents for paper or reusable plastic bags.

Under the law currently in place, reusable plastic bags are considered to be those designed for at least 75 repeated uses, are at least four millimeters thick, and can carry at least 18 pounds.

Click Here to Read the Full Text of LD 56

Sponsored by Rep. Barbara A. Bagshaw (R-Windham), and co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Libby (R-Cumberland), Rep. Alicia Collins (R-Sidney), Rep. Mark C. Cooper (R-Windham), and Rep. Kathy Javner (R-Chester), LD 69 seeks to repeal this section of law entirely.

Titled An Act to Repeal the Law Restricting the Use of Certain Plastic, Paper and Single-use Bags, this proposed legislation would not only eliminate the fee, but it would repeal the state’s restrictions on paper and plastic bags in their entirely.

Click Here to Read the Full Text of LD 69

Both proposed bills have been referred to the the Environment and Natural Resources Committee for further consideration during the upcoming legislative session.

Maine’s ban on non-reusable plastic bags officially went into effect on July 1, 2021. Although it was originally set to take effect on April 22, 2020, the ban’s enforcement was delayed due to concerns over the potential spread of COVID-19.

The ban was delayed for a second time due to “disruption in packing supplies and logistical effects” caused by the pandemic.

At this same time, retail stores providing non-reusable bags were required to begin charging the 5 cent fee. Reusable bags not made of plastic are exempt from the 5 cent fee requirement, but stores often charge their own fee for these bags, often ranging from around 75 cents to several dollars.

Click Here to Read the DEP’s Full 2021 Press Release on Bag Restrictions

As of mid-2024, 11 other states had enacted statewide bans on plastic bags, including: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.