Shop Green SBY

This ordinance applies to all supermarkets, convenience stores, corner stores, restaurants, shops, gas stations, or other sales outlets.

All single-use plastic bags given/received at the point of purchase are prohibited.

Paper alternatives can be provided to customers at an additional minimum fee of $0.10 per bag. Customers may also purchase reusable bags or bring their own. The $0.10 fee should not be applied when a customer brings their own reusable bag. The $0.10 fee should not be applied to a paper bag: a food service facility gives a customer or third party delivery service to take food sliced or prepared to order from the food service facility; if a pharmacy gives to a patient or customer that contains a prescription drug; or which constitutes an essential part of the packaging of the product, the product itself, or which was packaged in such manner at the time of manufacture.

Package bulk items, including fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, candy, or small hardware items, contain or wrap frozen foods, meat, or fish, whether prepackaged or not, contain or wrap flowers, potted plants, or other damp items, contain unwrapped prepared foods or bakery goods, contain a newspaper, contain garments or dry-cleaned clothes, including suits, jackets, and dresses, contain ice, plastic bags sold in packages containing multiple plastic bags, or a plastic bag provided by a retail establishment to take live fish, insects, mollusks, or crustaceans away from the retail establishment.

Collection of the fee will start on July 1, 2023. Retailers may choose to remove plastic products before July 1, 2023, if they wish. The City will allow for a 1-month acclimation period (the month of July 2023), during which retailers will receive a warning for non-compliance. After the 1-month acclimation period, retailers will be fined for each violation of non-compliance after an initial warning.

Yes, and yes. The ordinance applies at all point of sale, pickup, or delivery in Salisbury.

The ordinance requires a minimum fee of $0.10 per bag unless one or more of three criteria is met. The $0.10 fee should not be applied to a paper bag: a food service facility gives a customer or third party delivery service to take food sliced or prepared to order from the food service facility; if a pharmacy gives to a patient or customer that contains a prescription drug; or which constitutes an essential part of the packaging of the product, the product itself, or which was packaged in such manner at the time of manufacture.

Infractions include supplying a plastic bag to a customer and/or not charging the customer a fee. It is possible to commit multiple infractions per day.

The ordinance imposes certain civil penalties on the retail establishment, including a $500 fine for every violation. Each instance that the retail establishment commits a violation constitutes a separate offense.

Plastic bags are common pollution that end up in our trees, streets, parks, and rivers. Banning the use and spread of plastic bags will decrease litter, prevent storm drain blockages, and contribute to a healthier and more beautiful Salisbury.

No, epidemiologists with the CDC have confirmed that we are “almost at nil risk of getting a surface contact transmission of COVID-19.”

To help residents avoid paying the $0.10 fee, the City will be distributing a limited run of free reusable bags to residents with accessibility challenges through key community partnerships. Additionally, businesses may choose to distribute reusable bags in their establishments, including those with their own promotional logos.

Users of WIC and SNAP will not be exempt from the ban or the $0.10 surcharge for alternative bags.