The Berkshire Eagle reports that City Councilor Eric Buddington wants to discuss a plastic bag and polystyrene ban proposal in North Adams and introduced the issue to the council this week.

The council referred Buddington's communication — which was not a formal proposal, but rather an outline of the topic — to the council's General Government Committee for further review.

Buddington said he was prompted to bring the issue forward by a letter from a resident who regularly cleans up plastic litter on West Shaft Road.

Business groups, such as the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, have routinely voiced opposition to the local bans.

The neighboring communities of Williamstown and Adams have already enacted similar measures to the one that will be discussed in North Adams, as have Lee, Lenox, Dalton, and Great Barrington.

Major retailers in the city that would be impacted by a single-use plastic bag ban would likely include Walmart, Big Y and Stop & Shop.

The General Government Committee has yet to announce the date of its next meeting, but the matter is expected to return to the full council April 24.

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