Beware of This New Law Going Into Effect October 1 in Philadelphia

October is here and that means it is officially spooky season. Not only is October bringing Halloween, but it is also bringing a new law here in Philadelphia.

After two years of planning, plastic bags will officially be banned in Philadelphia starting Friday, October 1st. This ban was originally passed in 2019 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now here we are two years later and Philly is trying to do what it can to make our environment just a little bit cleaner. So the next time you enter a grocery store, by law they are required to offer you a single-use plastic bag or non-recyclable paper bag, according to NBC Philadelphia.

I don't think you understand how much this will help with Philly's littering crisis. Everywhere you turn there are plastic bags blowing in the wind on the streets and waterways. According to NBC Philadelphia, every single year the city of Brotherly of Love uses about one billion plastic bags.

“Philadelphia remains committed to advancing our environmental goals, and the ban on single-use plastic bags will be an important step forward to achieve those goals,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a written statement, according to NBC Philadelphia. “We also understand this is a major change for businesses, which is why we built out an extended education and warning period to ensure widespread awareness of the law to our diverse business owners and to residents and consumers.”

The first thing that popped into my head when I heard about this change is, "Where the heck am I going to get a bunch of reusable bags?" Well we all are in luck. If you stop by any Wawa in Philly on October 1 they will be giving away free ones to the first 1,000 people who show up.