YORK - The town's new plastic bag ban, the first in Maine, took effect last Thursday, March 3 — eliminating the use of single-use plastic bags. Customers patronizing York stores are now encouraged to bring their own reusable bags with them when they shop in town. As they headed in and out of Hannaford Supermarket Monday, shoppers shared their thoughts on the change: 

"It's ridiculous. The plastic bags are usually made from recylced plastic to begin with. Secondly, when you use paper bags, they're destroying trees. I know trees are a renewable resource but they still take a while to grow. I would use reusables, but every time you turn around you have to pay for them. If they had no logos on them, sure I'd buy them. But I'm not going to pay a dollar to advertise somebody's store. They should be giving them away."

— John Brandolini, Eliot


"It's wonderful. I lived in Europe for nine years, and there, it's just commonplace. Reuseable bags are more sturdy, they're more durable, and they're good for the environment. You know, when we could use plastic, sometimes we got into some bad habits. Now you need to stop and think, and there's nothing wrong with that."

— Jonna Dyjstra, York


"You can see, I always bring my bags. I've had my bags for years. You can get more in them. It's really not because of the plastic thing, I just find them more convenient. I do miss the plastic bags because when you're peeling potatoes or cutting up your broccoli, you need something to throw them in. So they made great garbage bags. But you adjust."

— Phyllis Parent, York


"I've been using these for maybe a year. It doesn't matter where I shop - Market Basket, BJ's - I've been using my bags for a long time. I think it's a wonderful thing. Anything that can help us with the environment is good, really. No matter what it is - conserving water, electricity. And I have grandchildren who tell me, 'Don't kill the trees.' I follow what they've been saying for years.

— Anne Spagnolo, with her husband Louis, York


"I've been using the reusable bags for a while - at least a year. They're a good way to clean up the environment - part of it anyway. Why? Because of all the trash. All the bags flying around all the time. It's dangerous and I don't like it."

— Glenda Tarr, Kittery


"I'm all for it and anything you can do toward that end, I think is good. I think our environmental footprint is way too big and people are too lazy. They don't want to do the little bit of extra work to make things better. If they're not going to do it on their own, I think there should be ordinances passed to enforce that."

— Bill Thomas, South Berwick