Long Beach Residents Rally to Reduce Use of Plastic Bags

Photo credit - Jason Paluck

LONG BEACH, NY - Over 125 local residents and several city officials participated in a rally to call for reducing the use of plastic bags in Long Beach last week.

The rally was hosted by George Povall of All Our Energy, a Point Lookout-based organization for conservation and renewable energy,

At the event, Povall along with members of BYO Bag LB gathered over 2,512 signatures from residents, visitors, and business owners in support of city action.

"I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout," Povall said.

Attendees created a mural using 500 plastic bags tied end to end, which is the average person’s annual usage. In Long Beach, a total of 11 million plastic bags are used each year.

High school senior Finn Ashmead, who started a student petition and acquired hundreds of signatures which inspired another dozen students to do the same spoke during the rally.

“This ordinance is a very simple step we can take to reduce our local pollution, and make Long Beach a much cleaner place," he said.

Povall, who has been campaigning to reducing the use of plastic bags in the city for a year now, stated that he believes not in adopting a policy of completely banning the use of plastic bags like in Southampton and Patchogue, but in "reeling in" the use of single-use plastic bags by charging a small fee to use them.

A similar system implemented in parts of New York City has had great success, according to Povall.

He says it makes a lot of sense to enact an ordinance on plastic bags in Long Beach because the pollution can be seen in the local waterways.

"Being a seaside community, the pollution is much more visible," he said.

Many of the local businesses and the vast majority of local residents support the idea, but some still have concerns which Povall and his group tries to address.

"It's a way to remind people to bring their own bags," he said. "It can be done in a short amount of time and doesn't require a lot of effort from anybody."

All five members of the City Council have spoken publicly in favor of the plan, but there is still no word if an ordinance will be put into place soon.

"I am here as a City Council Member in support of a reusable bag ordinance,” City Councilwoman Eileen Goggin said at the rally. “I am committed to making this happen".

Povall and his group will be hosting another presentation at the Long Beach Public Library on 111 W Park Avenue starting at 7 p.m. on Monday.

What do you think? Should Long Beach reduce the use of plastic bags in the city? Let us know in the comments below!