Remember how you used to use the reusable grocery bags before COVID-19? You better go grab them from the cellar, garage or wherever you stored them, because you are going to need them effective July 1 in Maine.

The law banning single use plastic bags was signed on Earth Day in 2020, and then COVID-19 came. At the onset of the pandemic, news made the rounds that the coronavirus could be transmitted via reusable cloth bags, so Maine officials kicked the ban of single-use plastic bags down the road until January 15, 2021.

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The pandemic didn't go away. So, the January15 deadline came and went, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection set a new date of July 1, 2021.

At that point, stores won't be able to use the single-use plastic bags. If they have paper bags, they'll have to charge you 5 cents per bag.

Maine's Walmart stores already have signs up warning/reminding customers that they'll need to bring in their reusable bags starting July 1.

Don't have any? Most major chains sell them, with the proceed of Hannaford Care bags going to local non-profits.

Just remember to wipe out your reusable bags and if you're using the cloth bags, give them a run through the washing machine every so often.

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LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

 

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