FRAMINGHAM — Beginning in 2018, grocery stores and retailers in Framingham will be banned from handing out single-use plastic bags at the checkout counter.

Town Meeting members on Thursday overwhelmingly approved an article that prevents stores from distributing most kinds of thin-film plastic bags.

The measure, which arose as a citizen’s petition, aims to reduce the number of bags that end up as litter or trash, cutting down on pollution and conserving fossil fuels.

It passed by a margin of more than two-to-one, placing Framingham among the ranks of communities such as Cambridge, Newton and Brookline, which have passed similar bans. Natick has discussed implementing a ban.

Some residents who backed the measure said they wanted not only to make an environmental contribution, but also to pressure the Legislature to restrict the use of plastic bags statewide.

“Some people somewhere have to take the first step,” said Gerald Bloomfield, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 1 who implored his neighbors to usher in the change.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, stores in Framingham will be prohibited from distributing or selling plastic bags at the point of sale. The ban applies to bags with a thickness of 2.5 mils — a unit equal to one thousandth of an inch — or less.

Customers will still be permitted to use plastic bags to carry loose produce to the checkout counter. Stores will also be allowed to provide thin film plastic bags for dry cleaning, newspapers, produce, meat, bulk foods, wet items and other similar merchandise.

The article encourages consumers to carry reusable or biodegradable shopping bags, and asks stores to sell reusable checkout bags at a “reasonable price.” The ban will be enforced by the town manager, who will have the authority to order inspections of retail and grocery stores. Establishments that defy the ban are subject to fines.

Presenting the article Thursday on the floor of Town Meeting, resident Michael Croci said as many as 34 million plastic bags are distributed in Framingham each year, and the average is used for only 12 minutes. The bags take hundreds of years to break down, and are never fully biodegradable, he said.

Behind him, a projector screen showed images of plastic bags caught in trees and shrubs at places such as Edgell Road, Rte. 135 and Keefe Regional Technical School. Croci said only a small number of bags — between 5-10 percent — are properly recycled.

In addition to the environmental consequences, plastic bags also kill an “untold number of animals” who die from eating them or becoming tangled up in them, Croci said.

The article, which was sponsored by resident Ken Weiss, gained the backing of both the Committee on Public Safety and Government Study Committee, which unanimously supported the measure with the proviso that the new bylaw not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2018 — one year later than Weiss had proposed.

Many of those who spoke in favor of the article cited environmental concerns. Larry E. Stoodt of Precinct 4 said the threat posed by climate change must be addressed on every level.

“I really think that the fundamental issue here is I really don’t want my great grandchildren finding out about (Dick’s Sporting Goods) or some other company that has ceased to exist” in the future by digging up old plastic bags, Stoodt said.

Others spoke to the volume of litter around town. Aaron McCoppin, of Precinct 18, said he rides the commuter rail home each day and sees “tons” of plastic bags strewn across the tracks when his train departs from West Natick and pulls into Framingham.

“It looks terrible,” he said.

Among those who opposed the measure, concerns centered around the potential that Framingham businesses will be at a disadvantage by eliminating plastic bags.

Mark W. McClennan of Precinct 12 called the ban “well-intentioned” but “misguided.” McClennan said once the measure goes into effect, his wife and others will shop at grocery stores outside Framingham.

“This is going to hurt Framingham residents and Framingham taxpayers,” he said.

Rather than forcing shoppers to bring their own bags with new legislation, Randall Cohen of Precinct 15 said it would be better to try to educate people about the environmental benefits and convince them to change their habits.

“I think we all support the sentiment,” Cohen said. “We want to save our environment, we want to reduce waste, we want to reduce pollution. But the simple fact is that there’s bigger contributors we could go after, but even that’s not going to change the behavior of those that choose not to conduct themselves in an environmentally sound manner.”

Other speakers downplayed the potential inconvenience of the new bylaw. Norma Shulman of Precinct 5 said she’s never at a loss for reusable bags, which are widely available from companies that give them out for free. She carried with her a trove of bags, stuffed into a sack bearing the logo of supermarket chain Trader Joe’s.

“Please don’t worry about what type of bag you will be able to get or how much it will cost,” Shulman said. “We’ll take care of it.”

Audrey Hall of Precinct 3 said it’s “disgusting” to watch as grocery stores place a single item in a plastic bag at the checkout counter.

“I think this is the easiest thing we can possibly do … to help and protect our environment,” she said.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin.