Darien Holds Public Hearing On Proposed Plastic Bag Ban

DARIEN, CT — Residents voiced their opinions on a proposed plastic bag ban during a public hearing Wednesday night at Darien Town Hall. Public Works Chairman Monica McNally estimated between 110 and 130 people were in attendance, 28 of which spoke for a few minutes each.

"I think that we had a terrific showing," McNally said. "I thought it was a good cross-reference of people that included individuals speaking for themselves, some speaking on behalf of their organizations and business establishments speaking on behalf of themselves."

While McNally emphasized she is impartial and does not have an opinion either way on the proposal, she said response toward the ordinance at the hearing seemed positive, however the details remain to be worked out. (To sign up for Darien breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"From the hearing I would say people are in favor [of the ban], but that doesn’t mean we heard from everybody," McNally said. "It's important to hear from everybody because this affects everybody. It affects small businesses immediately. For an individual, it might be an imposition to have to go back to their car if they forgot their recycled bag, but the real boots on the ground are the people who run these small stores that need to change the way they do business. I want to hear from them. We did hear from some and I think we will continue to get feedback from them."

See also: Plastic Bag Ban Considered In Darien

According to McNally, it can sometimes be easier to get more information from individuals when they do not have to get up and speak in front of other people. Anyone who still wishes to express their opinion can do so by emailing darienrtm@darientct.gov by March 1.

"I want to take into consideration people that are not comfortable speaking in public or that maybe feel their voice isn’t a popular voice," McNally said. "I also want to take the temperature off my committee. I want to see how they feel themselves and how they think their constituents feel. It’s a little too early to say."

The proposal was brought before the Board of Selectmen months ago by BYO Darien, a volunteer group of Darien residents who have met with various RTM committees.

The RTM Rules Committee has designated the Public Works, Public Health & Safety and Town Government Structure & Administration Committees to consider the proposal. These committees will next discuss the hearing and the feedback received from residents, either during the hearing or through email.

"If the feeling is that an ordinance is wanted then we have to start working on the particulars," McNally said, "and that’s something we do on a committee level. That could take a few meetings per committee."

She also commended the commitment shown by BYO Darien members, who have been reaching out to various groups and residents in town for a number of months.

"The BYO group is a committed group," McNally said. "They’ve done a really good job of reaching out to all groups in Darien and meeting them where they are and where their interests are, which I commend them for. They’ve reached out to school age children, canvassed businesses, reached out to senior people and really tried to get in touch with the whole community."

As she awaits more feedback from residents on whether they are in support of the ordinance or not, McNally said she is proud that so many of them were willing to voice their opinion on something they feel strongly about in a public setting.

"I’m really proud of Darien citizens for coming out and speaking up, and for caring about issues," McNally said. "These things affect the whole community. If you have a good feel of your community, it makes making ordinances like this so much easier. We don’t want to do them in a vacuum. We want to know what people really think, and it has to be a democratic process."

Photo credit: RJ Scofield