Town checks out student's plastic bag ban | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Town checks out student's plastic bag ban | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram:

WINDHAM - Shoppers at supermarkets and big-box stores in town take home at least 9,550 plastic bags per day.

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When Sierra Yost learned that Windham stores give out nearly 10,000 plastic bags per day, a mission was born.

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

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Sierra Yost, an eighth-grader at Windham Middle School, is trying to put a stop to it.

Inspired by a science class project on plastics, Sierra presented a proposal to the Windham Town Council on Tuesday to ban plastic bags and charge 10 cents for non-recyclable paper bags at the checkout counters of stores larger than 2,500 square feet.

"They were really impressed with all the information I found," said Sierra, who came up with the figure for local plastic bag use by calling Hannaford, Shaw's, Walmart and Marshalls.

Now town staff is rewriting her proposal into the form of an ordinance for the council to consider at an upcoming meeting.

"There's a lot of interest in it between the councilors. I don't think it's a bad idea," Councilor Tom Gleason said Friday.

Towns and cities throughout the country -- from Westport, Conn., to San Francisco -- have imposed bans and fees on non-reusable bags