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Cambridge, MA Single-Use Items: Plastic Bag Rules (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Effective date
One year after 2015 enactment
Allowed checkout bags
Recyclable paper or reusable only
Reusable bag minimum thickness
3.0 mils plastic, or durable fabric
Recycled content minimum
40% post-consumer, paper bags
Max fine
$300 per day
Hardship exemption length
Up to 2 years

Summary

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.

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.

View official code

Full Breakdown

68 (Ord. 040(A)). 030(A)). 040(C)). 030(A)(3), (7)). 060). 070).

Violations & Fines

Providing a customer with a disposable plastic checkout bag, or a recyclable paper or compostable bag without charging the required fee, violates § 8.68.040. Enforcement personnel, including the Commissioner of Public Works, the License Commission and Inspectional Services, can fine a retailer up to $300 per violation, with each day of continued noncompliance counted separately under § 8.68.070.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Cambridge store still give out thin plastic bags?
No. Cambridge Municipal Code § 8.68.040(A) limits checkout bags to recyclable paper bags with at least forty percent post-consumer content or reusable bags made of durable material like polyester, cotton, or plastic at least 3.0 mils thick.
Do stores have to charge for paper bags?
Yes. Section 8.68.040(C) requires a per-bag charge, set by Public Works Commissioner regulation, for every recyclable paper or compostable plastic bag provided, separately itemized on the receipt as the 'checkout bag charge' and kept by the retailer.
What is the penalty for a Cambridge retailer that keeps using plastic bags?
Section 8.68.070 sets a fine of up to $300 for each violation, and treats every day the store keeps violating the ordinance as a separate offense, enforceable by Public Works, the License Commission, Inspectional Services or the Health Commission.
Can a business get out of the bag rule?
Only through a hardship exemption from the Commissioner of Public Works, granted for up to two years where no reasonable alternative bag exists, compliance would violate a legal right, or the business needs time to sell through existing plastic-bag stock, with monthly inventory reports required.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Cambridge

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All Cambridge rules

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Plastic Bag Rules in Nearby Cities

How other cities in this county handle plastic bag rules.

Newton, MA
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Somerville, MA
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