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Forum nets plenty of support for plastic bag ban
by Carrie Miller | 07/18/2014 12:00 PM
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Charles Reichert (right), owner of IGA in Southold and Greenport, was one of few who spoke out
against the ban. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
It wasn’t quite the mixed bag of opinions expected at Thursday
night’s Southold Town plastic bag ban forum, where the
overwhelming majority of attendees spoke in favor of the ban.
The forum, which featured a panel of six representatives from all
sides of the debate, came following a pitch to ban plastic bags across
the East End started by members of the East End Supervisors and
Mayors Association.
Southampton and East Hampton Villages successfully passed
similar laws in 2011, requiring that “any person engaged in retail
sales shall provide only reusable bags and/or recyclable paper bags
as checkout bags to customers.” The laws place exemptions on
plastic produce bags used for items like meats and veggies, and
plastic bags measuring 28 by 36 inches or larger in size.
Fines range from $100 to $250 per offense, according to the village
laws.
Town Supervisor Scott Russell led the forum, as town board
members heard from about a dozen of the roughly 50 attendees.
“There is no such thing as a free lunch, and there is no such thing as
a free lunch bag,” said panel member Bill Toedtler, president of the
North Fork Environmental Council.
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lifespan of the single-use bags is just 12 minutes on average before
they start to break.
Once disposed of, it takes anywhere from 20 to 1,000 years to
degrade, he said, noting that animals who might ingest the bags
would likely decompose before the bags do.
“It would be irresponsible to believe that we are not impacted by
plastic debris in our water,” he said. “These free bags cost us far too
much.”
Panel member Charles Reichert, owner of IGA in Southold and
Greenport, spoke out starkly against the ban, saying it should only
be imposed if it’s implemented throughout the region.
“We’re getting killed by what’s happening in Riverhead and if
Riverhead doesn’t do this, we are going to be at a big disadvantage,”
he said. “We can’t absorb the cost. This is a big deal.”
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Mr. Reichert noted that the cost of paper bags is almost eight times
the cost of single-use plastic bags, an increase he said that could
break the bank for many local business owners.
He asked attendees if they knew the bags in question could be
recycled, adding that he takes thousands of bags to be recycled
every week.
Panel member Bob DeLuca of Group for the East End said that
though they can be recycled, only about 8 percent of bags used
nationally on average ever are.
He noted that as the bags break down, plastic particles can be
consumed and have an impact on public health.
He said the bags are not exactly biodegradable, but more so
“disintegrateable,” with remnants still remaining in the area’s
water bodies.
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Southold resident Dave Markel, who collected more than 300
signatures on a petition supporting a plastic bag ban, said “there
was overwhelming support for a ban,” among community members
with whom he spoke.
“Start locally,” he said. “Let’s go and lets be leaders in this
important issue.”
Orient resident Bob Hanlon asked if it was possible that some sort
of town charge or tax be put on the use of plastic bags to encourage
people to recycle them, much like the refund on cans and bottles.
Mr. Russell said such a fee would have to be enacted on the county
or state level, and could take years to put in place.
Questioning the business owners concerns, Annemarie
VanHemmen of New Suffolk said the ban “should not be a cost for
merchants.”
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She proposed that customers should bring reusable bags of their
own, or be charged for a paper alternative.
“It’s all mentality,” she said, noting that once such a cost hits the
consumer, they would probably remember their reusable bags.
Dieter von Lehsten, co-chair of Southampton Town’s Sustainability
Committee, which is pushing for a similar ban in South Fork towns,
asked the Supervisor to “be the leader for our communities.”
“They are all considering town-wide bans,” he said. “If you,
Supervisor Russell take the lead, they will follow.”
Mr. Russell said the next step in the process would be adopting a
local law, which would require 30 days notice to the public and a
public hearing prior to the vote.
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He said while he does not anticipate having any additional forums
on the topic, “there are a lot of mom and pop [shops] that we still
have to talk with.”
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ban, East Hampton, plastic bag, Southampton, Southold
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Stopfoodtax smith
•
3 days ago
• Reply • Share ›
GaryCharters
3 days ago
•
What about the constant painted yard sale signs that go up all
over the place week after week after week. The last round that
went up in Greenport directed people to a yard sale on Moore's
Lane North. If I remember correctly the town code say one or two
signs in front of the house and a town permit besides.
• Reply • Share ›
homeport11944
GaryCharters • 3 days ago
What about them? Don't seem to have anything to do with
the subject. Fair topic for another conversation, though.
• Reply • Share ›
Damon Rallis
homeport11944 • 3 days ago
It has to do with "new rules" versus enforcement.
I certainly support a spirited debate over banning
plastic bags but, while we're at it, can we discuss
banning those tasteless vertical banner flags that
seem to have invaded Southold Town in the last
few months... You know, the brightly colored ones
that advertise "cold beer", "ice cream", "insurance",
etc.
Oh wait... They're already banned, which begs the
question, why create new rules when we refuse to
enforce the ones we have?
2
• Reply • Share ›
homeport11944
•
2 days ago
Damon Rallis
Don't you work in the building dept.? Isn't
your department supposed to enforce the
code? Why are you refusing to enforce the
rules?
• Reply • Share ›
GaryCharters
•
2 ⋅ 18 hours ago
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The plastic bag has the smallest footprint. This is the wrong
direction. If you really want to do something then look into
curbside recycling. This would include, shrink wrap, bubble wrap,
drycleaning bags, sandwich bags as well as the plastic bag. There
are now studies that show that these bans are actually worse for
the environment and don't do anything to save the earth.
http://reason.org/files/how_gr... is just one that I have found.
2
0 ⋅ 16 hours ago
Cops: Greenport man arrested for felony
DWI in Cutchogue
http://ow.ly/zmXbN
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0 ⋅ 15 hours ago
2 days ago
homeport11944