East End Towns To Pursue Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags

The mayors and supervisors of several East End municipalities announced Wednesday a coordinated effort to consider implementing a regional ban of single-use plastic bags by Earth Day, April 22, 2015, an initiative aimed at eliminating one of the most common and lasting forms of litter. If adopted, participating towns and villages would work to roll-out the program with accompanying education campaigns to raise awareness about the initiative with constituents and business owners.

“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/or introduce the plastic bag ban legislation within the month, initiating a process that invites public feedback on the idea. If the proposal is well-received, the aim is to adopt coordinated legislation that would make the ban effective Earth Day 2015.

“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.

“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.

“Sagaponack Village is pleased to participate in the regional effort to curb single-use plastic bags. Under current plans we hope to have legislation similar to what Southampton and East Hampton Towns are considering adopted by the end of the year,” said Sagaponack Village Mayor Don Louchheim.

“The effort to eliminate single-use plastic bags is a great idea for our environment and deserves support,” said West Hampton Dunes Village Mayor Gary Vegliante, who added that Trustee Catherine Woolfson would introduce a memorializing resolution in support of the measure.

“The Village of North Haven lends its full support to the plastic bag ban effort and urges other municipalities to do the same,” said North Haven Mayor Jeff Sanders.

The villages of Southampton and East Hampton are already programs leaders, having implemented legislation to ban single-use plastic bags in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

“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.

“The Village of East Hampton is committed to promoting policies that highlight the importance of environmental protection and sustainability. The plastic bag ban implemented by the Board of Trustees is an important step in supporting these efforts. The program has been extremely successful and the Village retailers have been supportive in this regard. We encourage our local government neighbors to join us in this endeavor,” said East Hampton Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach.

In order to institute the regional program, each participating municipality must adopt legislation that imposes a ban on distribution of single-use plastic bags by retailers, similar to what has been adopted in Southampton and East Hampton villages. The program encourages shoppers to bring reusable bags, but recycled paper bags will 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.

According to Nationally Documented Use and Recovery of Plastic Checkout Bags:

• In 2012, 104 billion plastic checkout bags (700,000 tons) were used in the United States.
• The recovery rate of these bags was 7.1% or 7.4 billion bags (50,000 tons).
• 96.6 billion bags (650,000 tons) end up in landfills, incinerators, as litter, or in local waters every year.
• Based on EPA data, Americans use 330 bags/capita.
• In the United States, over 130 cities and counties have passed plastic bag regulations.