Everything you need to know about Philadelphia’s plastic bag ban

Philadelphia’s plastic bag ban officially went into effect Friday, after a nine-month awareness, education, and warning period. City Council has been working to ban plastic bags for more than a decade, but it wasn’t until December 2019 that the legislation passed. Even still, the rollout didn’t begin until July 2021.

Now that the adaptation period is over and the plastic bag ban is in full effect, here’s what you need to know about the ban:

The main point of this law is to improve the environment by reducing plastic waste and helping the city stay litter-free. Under the law, all single-use plastic bags are banned. This includes all thin and most thick plastic bags.

Plastic bags that are thicker than 2.25 mil., and are intended to be reusable, are still allowed. You can check the city’s website for a list of bag requirements to see what plastic bags are allowed.

Additionally, some paper bags are also banned. Under the law, paper bags can’t be made out of old-growth fiber — meaning the fiber of trees older than 120 years — and must be made out of at least 40% post-consumer recycled content. They also need to have a visible, easy-to-read label printed with the word recyclable or recycled content, along with the percentage of post-consumer recycled content, and the manufacturer’s name.

Bags made out of nylon, cotton, cloth, polyester, and any other material designed to be reused are allowed.

Reusable bags are generally easy to find. Most grocery stores sell them, along with big-box stores like Target, Walmart, and Amazon. You can also visit your local gift stores (like Nice Things Handmade, Local PHL Market, and Open House) to find reusable totes.

All Philly retailers that offer bags at checkout, or use them to deliver their products, must adhere to the law. The size of the business does not matter — if the business gives customers bags to carry food, clothing, or any product for sale, they need to comply with the plastic bag ban.

Newspaper bags, pharmacy-provided bags containing prescription drugs, and dry cleaner bags are all exempt.

Bags for garbage disposal, to contain pet waste, or for yard waste are also exempt, as are bags used to package items like meats or fish, unwrapped prepared foods, bakery goods, flowers, produce, and other similar things.

Now that the law is in effect, Philadelphia will start issuing violation notices to noncompliant businesses. Fines are $150 and will be issued for each individual violation. If a business continually refuses to comply, the city can take the business to court and request additional penalties.

You can also report a business for not adhering to the legislation by calling 311 or visiting phila.gov/311.

Yes. It’s up to the business owners to decide whether they charge you for a bag, and how much they charge for it.

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