Northern Mariana Islands Bag Ban, Fee & EPR Rules

Bag Ban Status

No territory-wide plastic bag law exists in the CNMI as of July 17, 2026. Verified against the CNMI Law Revision Commission public-law index (cnmilaw.org): all public laws of the 1st through 24th Legislatures were reviewed and none regulates plastic or single-use carryout bags. Ban bills were introduced but never enacted — SB 21-37 ('Single Use Act of 2019', Sen. Vinson Sablan) and SB 23-42 ('Single Use Act of 2023', Sen. Donald Manglona) both died without becoming law. Secondary trackers listing CNMI among territories with bag bans could not be substantiated by any primary source; the citations they trace to (PL 21-38, PL 20-25) are actually a casino-commission law and a vehicle-registration-fee law.

Plastic Bag Restrictions

None territory-wide. No CNMI public law restricting plastic carryout bags exists; ban bills (SB 21-37, SB 23-42) were introduced but never enacted.

Paper Bag Requirements

No territory-wide paper bag fee or PCR mandate; confirmed against the CNMI public-law index (2026-07-17).

Recycled Content (PCR)

None identified.

Fees & Taxation

None identified.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

No EPR for packaging.

Local Ordinances

None identified in the CNMI local-law index (Saipan/Rota/Tinian).

Key Dates

n/a — no territory-wide bag law enacted as of 2026-07-17.

Official Sources

• CNMI Law Revision Commission — Public Laws index
• CNMI Legislature
• CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ)