QUINCY — The city's plastic bag ban and "Bring Your Own Bag" public education campaign will launch Sunday and start a 90-day transition period to allow retailers and customers to get used to the new law.

Single-use plastic bags have been banned in Boston and a dozen South Shore towns, and Quincy councilors voted in December to join to environmentally-friendly movement. March 1 marks the first day of the ban, but retail stores will have until June 1 to deplete their current stocks of the shopping bags. After the 90-day grace period, fines will be enforced.

The law was first proposed  last June and defines plastic shopping bags as carry-out plastic bags provided to customers by retailers. The do not include produce bags, bags used to wrap frozen food, meat or fish to prevent contamination, laundry or dry cleaner bags or newspaper bags.

The city's licensing board will be responsible for the law's enforcement. Violators will first be given a written warning, then $50 for a second offense and $100 for each subsequent offense.

Under the Quincy law, stores can charge customers for recyclable paper bags and for re-usable bags.

The initial legislation was introduced by Mayor Thomas Koch and Ward 4 Councillor Brian Palmucci. At the December council meeting, Palmucci said he's also heard from residents about a possible ban of paper bags, something that could be considered at a later date.

More than 120 communities across Massachusetts have enacted bans on single-use plastic bags in the last few years, including Boston, Milton and Hingham.

Lawmakers have tossed around the idea of a statewide plastic bag ban for years, which would make Massachusetts the ninth state to do so. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont have all banned single-use plastic bags.