Starting next year, Upper Merion Township businesses will no longer be able to give out plastic bags and utensils.

 

The township’s Board of Supervisors last week unanimously passed the ban on plastic single-use bags, straws, and utensils. The ordinance also bans polystyrene food service products, which include foam boxes used for takeout food.

 

Upper Merion’s ordinance against single-use plastics will include the King of Prussia Mall, among the largest indoor malls in the country.

 

The ban on bags, straws, and foam boxes starts Jan. 1, 2024, and the ban on utensils will take effect in July 2024.

 

Upper Merion joins 19 other towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania that have passed bans on plastic products in an effort to reduce waste.