Mayors and supervisors of East End towns announced last week that they’d decided to embark on a coordinated effort to implement a regional single-use plastic bags — but Southold Town isn’t ready to sign on, yet.
“The town board is not taking action at this time. We are certainly reserving the right to revisit the issue in the future, particularly if other towns
participate. There appears to be some support of a countywide ban and I believe the board will pass a resolution urging adoption of a ban at the county level,” Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said.
Other East End supervisors, who’ve been pitching the proposal for months, hope to have the ban in place by Earth Day, March 22, 2015. If adopted, participating towns and villages would work to roll-out the program with accompanying education campaigns to raise awareness among business owners and residents.
“I think everyone agrees that eliminating single-use plastic bags as a form of litter is an excellent goal, and working together to enact legislation on a regional basis provides an opportunity to achieve the greatest results and send a coordinated and non-partisan message about the measure’s environmental significance, while ensuring a level playing field for East End businesses,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst.
Leaders of Southampton, East Hampton, and Riverhead towns, as well as the villages of Sag Harbor, Sagaponack, North Haven, West Hampton Dunes and Quogue agreed to hold work sessions and could possibly introduce the plastic bag ban legislation within the coming month, while also asking for public feedback.
In Riverhead, despite some initial opposition, a majority of the board agreed to hear what the public had to say.
“I’ve been working on this for a year, and I look forward to discussing it at work session with the rest of the town board. The ban is workable and will be beneficial to the environment. I believe it should be passed, and I’m eager to hear the public’s opinion,” said Riverhead Town Councilman John Dunleavy.
“Living on Long Island, we must be stewards of the environment. It is my hope that this collaborative effort encourages residents to become more cognizant of the impact these bags will have on Long Island’s future generations,” said Riverhead Town Councilman James Wooten.
“As my colleagues are dedicated to the cause and have been working on it for some time, I am in agreement with moving forward, in conjunction with neighboring municipalities, to seek the public’s opinion,” Riverhead Councilwoman Jodi Giglio.
In Southampton, the board has been working toward a regional approach for months. “It’s taken some time to coordinate this effort, but the prospect of working in concert on this issue with so many municipalities has really added to the momentum of the initiative, and will ultimately make for a smoother transition for our residents and businesses, and a significantly greater environmental impact,” said Southampton Town Councilman Brad Bender.
“Worldwide, the accumulation of plastic pollutes miles upon miles of shoreline and extends to all depths of the sea, harming our environment and ourselves, as well as marine and other wildlife. Without this regional effort among local towns and villages, the plastic bags targeted by this initiative would only continue the detrimental build-up of litter across the East End and beyond,” said East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell.
“Environmental protection is always a priority for the Village of Sag Harbor, and the proposed ban would be yet another measure to help ensure our beaches, woods and waterways are protected from one of the most common and detrimental forms of litter. If we can implement the initiative on a larger, regional scale, it will only be more beneficial,” said Sag Harbor Village Mayor Brian Gilbride.
Sagaponack Village Mayor Don Louchheim, West Hampton Dunes Village Mayor Gary Vegliante, and North Haven Mayor Jeff Sanders also supported the initiative.
The villages of Southampton and East Hampton have been trailblazers in the movement, adopting legislation to ban single-use plastic bags in 2011 and 2012.
“The plastic bag ban has been very well received in Southampton Village. From an environmental perspective, it was simply the right thing to do. And residents have adjusted easily to bringing their own bags. It’s a small change in our everyday habits that is leading to real environmental benefits, and I strongly encourage other municipalities to join the effort,” said Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley.
In both villages, the program encourages shoppers to bring reusable bags, but recycled paper bags remain an option at checkout. Additionally, produce bags would not be eliminated under the draft legislation, and plastic bags with a thickness of 2.25 mils or greater would be defined as reusable bags, and not banned.
In July, a community forum, organized to garner public input on the possible ban of plastic bans in Southold Town, brought together panelists including Kevin Shannon of the Southold Business Alliance, Debbie O’Kane of the North Fork Audubon Society, Charles Reichert of IGA, Bill Toedtler of North Fork Environmental Council, Rosemary Batcheller of The Village Cheese Shop and Bob DeLuca of Group for the East End,
Although environmentalists have long proposed a ban of single-use plastic bags some local businesses fear the approach could have far-reaching effects on their businesses, and efforts to ban plastic bags for the entire county have been futile, the town supervisor said.
“It was a very good discussion,” Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said in an email after the meeting. “Most of those in attendance supported the ban.”
Suggestions were made, the supervisor added, that would encourage store owners to offer incentives to customers who used reusable bags. There was also a discussion on the idea of imposing a surcharge on all bags that would amount to five cents for each bag used, he said.
“It was well received and store owners in attendance seemed content with the idea, since it provided a level playing field, in that all store owners would need to comply.”
Russell said Reichert, of IGA, mentioned “his current struggle to compete with stores to the west. These are large corporate-owned stores which have purchasing power that allows them to already offer products for less.”
In September, according to IGA manager Kevin Gratten, a new program started in Southold, with a reusable bag given to customers who spend over $20. Customers who spend over $40 will get a free insulated bag, while supplies last.
“The people now will have their choice. They can use the plastic bag or use the reusable bag that we’re going to give them. They’re not being forced to do anything. I think it should help the town,” Reichert said.
With the cost of paper bags approximately eight times the cost of single use bags, Reichert said for him to bear that cost while the “corporate giants to the west” do not would put him at a “competitive disadvantage”, Russell said. “The problem with the surcharge,” the supervisor reminded, “is that towns do not have the authority to legislate such a fee. That would need to be done at the state level, which could take years.”
Representatives of local environmental organizations also spoke out, offering a “compelling argument” and outlining “the devastating effects these bags have on the environment — from the threats they pose to wildlife, to the overall impacts these bags have on the ecosystems, the damage is clear and it is quantifiable. The chemicals used to manufacture these bags also find their way into the food chain and, ultimately, into the diet of the human population,” Russell said.
Reflecting on the community discussion, Russell said, “On the whole, it was a very good and productive discussion and I think people in attendance walked away with a better understanding of both sides of the issue. The six panelists did an outstanding job keeping the discussion civil and meaningful.”
The recurring theme of the night, the supervisor said, was voiced by those who spoke in favor of the ban. “They called on the town to show strong leadership and to set an example despite what the other four East End towns do.”
Panelists spoke for a total of five minutes and residents had three minutes to ask questions or offer comments. Next, Russell said, the town will continue to discuss the idea.
Also, Russell said the proposal to ban single use plastic bans on the East End would not include Southold Town’s yellow bags, used for household trash.
“It is important to understand that the proposal is not to ban ‘plastic bags’ such as garbage bags,” Russell said recently. “The proposal is to ban ‘single use’ plastic bags, which are used by retail outlets for bagging purchased items.”
Russell said the proposal, which was first put forth by Southampton Town for exploration, included several suggestions for implementing the ban, including the possible creation of a committee.
After the idea was discussed at a recent Southold Town board meeting, some residents asked if the ban, if adopted on the East End, would impact the need for yellow town trash bags in Southold.
“The issues are not related,” Russell said. “Whether or not people like the ‘pay as you throw”system, which relies on the use of yellow bags, the use of them reduces the amount of recyclable material that would otherwise end up in the waste stream. This includes plastic. Since the cost of garbage disposal is volume based and paid for directly by the resident, there is a strong impetus to reduce the amount of garbage one produces. Much of what is discarded is recyclable, including plastic, and by recycling, residents use less yellow bags. Reducing the use of yellows bags reduces the ultimate cost to the resident and results in more recyclable material being removed from the waste stream.”
Single use plastic bags offer no such environmental benefit, Russell said. “They are meant to be used for one purpose, then discarded. Further, they end up in bays, creeks, and woods,” Russell said, adding that they take years to break down in the environment, remaining for generations unless a clean-up effort is organized.
Russell said the idea of a ban was broached a few years back, but local grocery store owners gave the proposal a big thumb’s down.
While the plastic bag ban was brought before the Suffolk County Legislature, the county “dropped it like a hot potato”, Russell said.
The supervisor said while he’d still see the county take the lead on the movement, an East End approach could work, but only if all five towns were onboard.
“I’m not sure if Riverhead is on board,” he said this summer. “They are a key player.”
The Riverhead town board, meanwhile, in July was unable to come to consensus on the issue.
At a July session, Giglio said she would not support the plastic bag ban. “It’s a business owner’s decision on how to deliver their products,” she said.
Riverhead Town Councilman George Gabrielsen agreed. “It’s not good for farmers,” he said, adding that paper bags could not be used at farm stands.
Both Councilmen Jim Wooten and John Dunleavy, however, favored banning.
A request for comment to the Shelter Island Town supervisor’s office was not immediately returned on Monday.
