Suffolk County Approves 5 Cent Fee on Paper, Plastic Bags [POLL]

Suffolk County shoppers should start keeping some extra nickels handy or carry a reusable bag with them at all times.

A newly approved bill in Suffolk County is set to put a 5 cent fee on plastic and paper bags to encourage shoppers to use reusable bags. Officials hope this bill will prevent pollution in the waters and on land.

The Suffolk County Legislature passed the local law Wednesday night and it is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2018.

Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport), hopes this bill will lead to a 75 percent reduction of single-use bags within three years after seeing the success of municipalities that already have a plastic bag fee.

“This is one fee that is completely avoidable,” Spencer said in a statement. “We don't need the plastic bags and you don't need to pay the fee. Good riddens! My hope is that we will join together and use reusable bags and give our precious Island a break.”

One of the legislators who voted against the bill, Legis. Robert Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), told Patch he believes Spencer has good intentions with the bill, but he doesn’t think charging people is the answer.

Trotta, who described himself as the biggest environmentalist in the Suffolk County Legislature, said the 5 cent deposit on plastic bottles doesn’t help with pollution as he sees hundreds of refundable bottles littered along Fort Salonga Road every day. Trotta doesn’t believe the 5 cent charge on plastic bags will make much of a difference, either. “If you really wanted to [prevent pollution of plastic bags,] ban it outright,” he said. “[The bill] is going to do very little for the environment.”

Do you approve of this ban? More than 60 percent of voters in a previous Patch poll approved of the legislation. Now that the bill is passed, are you still on board?

A plastic bag ban already exists in Southampton and East Hampton towns, Southampton Village, Quogue, Sagaponack and Patchogue.

Similar legislation around the world has seen a reduction of plastic bag use by as much as 85 percent, according to Spencer.

The free plastic bags come at a hidden cost to consumers and taxpayers, Spencer added. Retailers spend $4 billion per year to give out the bags; a cost that is passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, he said. Environmentalists have long maintained that the bags end up as litter in the area's waterways, wreaking havoc on the natural environment, destroying bucolic vistas, and costing taxpayers money and resources for their cleanup and proper disposal.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the reduction of plastic bag use will keep communities and the waters cleaner, greener and save taxpayers money. "Plastic bags are a mistake of the past,” Esposito said. “Reusable bags are the solution for the future.”

The bill was passed 13-4. Trotta along with legislators Lou D’Amaro (D-North Babylon), Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) and Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) voted against the bill, according to Newsday. Patch reached out to all legislators for comment.

Anker, whose area covers one of the largest senior communities on Long Island, told Patch she hears every day how the seniors are having a hard time living on Long Island with the price increases. Although she supports the enviornment, Anker would like the 5 cent charge to go towards environmental causes instead of the retailer. In Washington, D.C., 4 cents out of the 5 cent tax for a plastic bag goes towards environmental causes while one goes to the retailer.

"[The bill] will more than likely encourage people to recycle and that’s a good thing," Anker said. What she doesn't like, however, is the funds going to the retailers. She hopes the bill will be refined for immediate environmental benefit.

According to Trotta, the bill looks good on the surface, but the “devil is always in the details.”

If a store does not have paper bags made from 40 percent recycled paper, they could get hit with a $500 fine, Trotta said. He worries that the administration will take advantage of this fee. “It’s no different than the vehicle registration fee or the red light camera fee,” he said.

The bill would affect some Long Islanders more than others, including senior citizens with arthritis who have trouble holding the reusable bags, Trotta says.

Which side are you on? Sound off in the comments below.

Lisa Finn contributed to this report.

Patch file photo