January is Bring Your Own Bag month in Wellesley!
In the past three years, Wellesley's plastic bag regulations, which went into effect in 2017, have helped remove about 10.7 million* plastic bags from our local waste stream.
Our parks, yards and bodies of water are noticeably cleaner, and the Town's Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) no longer struggles with plastic bag-related equipment malfunctions.
To remind residents of the environmental benefits of bringing re-usable bags when they shop, the Board of Selectmen signed a proclamation declaring January 2020 as Bring Your Own Bag month for the third year in a row. 
Throughout the month, the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) will be working with local volunteers to promote this declaration.
Look for new re-usable bags that will be handed out in the community with suggestions from Wellesley Girl Scouts on reducing waste in Wellesley.
Currently more than 120 municipalities in the Commonwealth have plastic bag regulations and a bill to create a statewide ban on all carry-out plastic bags from stores has emerged from the Massachusetts Senate.
*Number based on average use of 128 bags per person per year for the past three years.