And you thought Mansfield was tough?

Reusable grocery bags have become almost a fashion accessory, such as this one from TheGREATbag.com.

Windham has proposed an ordinance that would bar retailers from giving out nonbiodegradable plastic bags or even certain paper bags.

Mansfield has a reputation for being proactively "green," but Winham may be setting the bar even higher.

The Windham Board of Selectmen has scheduled a public forum on a new ordinance that would punish retailers for handing out plastic bags, or even paper bags that don't meet certain minimum requirements.

Failure to take this ordinance seriously could result in fines as high as $150 a day for scofflaws.

The justification section of the proposed ordinance explains that this isn't just about reducing consumption of fossil fuels or putting the brakes on clear-cutting old growth forests.

Non-biodegradable plastic bags cause many ills, it states. These proliferating bags "often are discarded into the environment and end up polluting our waterways, clogging sewers, endangering marine life and causing unsightly litter. These bags last hundreds of years in landfills and are a potential source of harmful chemicals when they do break down."

So, under this proposed ordinance, "Any person engaged in retail sales shall provide only reusable bags or recyclable paper bags as checkout bags to customers. No person engaged in retail sales may make available by gift or purchase a checkout bag other than a reusable bag or a recyclable paper bag."

For those who may want to hear the discussion, the Public Forum for the Plastic Bag Ordinance is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 29 in the meeting room at Windham Town Hall.

To read a complete copy of the proposed ordinance, click on the "plastic bag" attachment at the end of this story.

Posted Nov. 19, 2008