LOWER MERION – It’s been two years since Lower Merion’s plastic bag ban went into effect.

Now, township officials want the public to help assess how the ban is working out.

“Support Lower Merion Sustainability in assessing the impact of the Plastic Bag Ordinance,” according to an announcement on the survey. “When you shop locally, complete the form below to share your experience, and whether you were given a plastic, paper, or reusable bag.”

The questionnaire can be accessed from Lower Merion’s website under he sustainability page. For more information about the plastic bag survey, visit www.lowermerion.org/departments/sustainability/single-use-carry-out-plastic-bag-ordinance.

Lower Merion Township passed its plastic bag ban ordinance in June 2023, with enforcement officially beginning on January 21, 2024, prohibiting single-use plastic bags at retail establishments and requiring a fee for compliant paper bags. The township provided a six-month transition period after adoption for businesses to prepare before enforcement started.

According to information on the township’s website, the ban includes “any bag made predominantly of plastic derived from either petroleum or a biologically based source, such as corn or other plant sources, which is made through a blown film extrusion process and that is provided by a Retail Establishment to a Customer at the point-of-sale. The term does not include bags intentionally designed for reuse or product packaging.”

The township also excluded some types of bags.

According to information from Lower Merion, bags without handles used to deliver perishable items to the point of sale at a commercial establishment, including bags used to package bulk items, contain frozen foods, unwrapped prepared foods & bakery goods, produce, meat, and live animals.

Bags used for laundry, dry cleaning, newspapers, or to protect a purchased item from damaging or contaminating other purchased items; and bags sold in packages containing multiple bags, packaged at the time of manufacture, and intended for use as food storage bags, lawn bags, trash or garbage bags, or pet waste bags are not part of the ban.