Single-Use Items in Cambridge, MA (2026)
2 verified single-use items rules for Cambridge, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Plastic Bag Rules
Cambridge retailers cannot hand out thin single-use plastic checkout bags. Under the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance, any bag given at checkout must be a recyclable paper bag or a heavy-duty reusable bag, and the store must charge a per-bag fee set by the Public Works Commissioner.
Cambridge Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsCambridge Municipal Code § 8.68.040(A)
If a retail establishment provides checkout bags to customers, such bags shall be either a recyclable paper bag or a reusable bag. Public information advising customers to sanitize reusable bags to prevent food-borne illness must be prominently displayed or communicated upon sale.
Polystyrene Foam Rules
Cambridge Code Chapter 8.70 bars food establishments, including school cafeterias, from dispensing prepared food in disposable containers made of polystyrene foam. The rule covers plates, cups, bowls, trays, hinged containers, straws, cup lids and utensils. The Commissioner of Public Works can grant hardship exemptions of up to six months, renewable once, and administers the fine of up to $300 per day.
Cambridge Polystyrene Food Container Ban
Significant RestrictionsCambridge, MA Code of Ordinances §§ 8.70.040, 8.70.070
Except as provided herein, food establishments are prohibited from dispensing prepared food to customers in disposable food service containers made from polystyrene. ... Any food establishment who shall violate any provision of this chapter shall be liable for a fine of not more than three hundred dollars and each day's violation shall constitute a separate offense.