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Massachusetts Bag Ban, Fee & EPR Rules

Verified: July 21, 2026

Bag Ban Status

No statewide ban (statewide measure pending). No statewide ban yet. Roughly 163 of 351 MA municipalities have local bag bans (advocacy-group tally; no official state count is published).

Plastic Bag Restrictions

Plastic carryout bags: statewide measure pending.

Paper Bag Requirements

No statewide paper bag requirement.

Recycled Content (PCR)

No statewide recycled-content mandate for carryout bags.

Fees & Taxation

No statewide bag fee. Local fees also apply in some cities - see Local Ordinances below.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

EPR for Packaging — study/needs-assessment phase, no enacted program and no live EPR bill. Statute: S.3050 environmental bond bill (EPR commission).

Local Ordinances

163 cities/towns including Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield, Burlington, Auburn, Saugus, Natick, Dartmouth, Barnstable, Wrentham, Lee, many others — Local plastic bag bans, some with paper bag fees ($0.05-$0.10).

Key Dates

First reporting deadline: 2026-03-01 (commission report).

Official Sources