WASHINGTON - American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the passage of the Boston City Council ordinance regarding the reduction of plastic bags in Boston (Docket #0132). The proposed ordinance would place a five-cent fee on recycled paper bags.

"Dozens of communities in Massachusetts have enacted plastic bag bans in recent years, and until today, only one taxed paper bags. This undermines an environmentally responsible option for carryout shopping bags. Paper is the most-recycled material in the United States today. Last year, two-thirds of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. Paper is part of the environmental solution, but Boston is treating it like the problem."

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