Westhampton Village Board Says Nay to Plastic Bag Ban

The Westhampton Village Board shot down an idea to impose a ban on the use of plastic bags in the village during a meeting on Wednesday. The discussion was brief and four of the five trustees in attendance agreed that a plastic bag ban would not be beneficial to the village.

The discussion item was added to the village's agenda after officials in the and discussed a similar proposal.

“If we passed it, it would really be a whistle in the dark,” said Mayor Conrad Teller, who has that he is not in support of a ban.

Trustee Hank Tucker said he did conduct research and found that many incorporated villages around the country have also decided not to impose bans with the exception of Southampton Village and a few in California.

Tucker also noted that for area farmers, using paper bags rather than plastic bags does not work well.

“I don’t think though it is a terrible idea to encourage people to use paper instead of plastic,” said Tucker.

Trustee Toni-Jo Birk, said she wondered if other villages researched the use of plastic bags in their jurisdiction before banning them.

“People do reuse plastic bags,” she said.

The in April; it will take effect in September. The ban applies to retail stores, sidewalk sales, farmers markets, flea markets and restaurants. Yard sales, tag sales and sales by nonprofit organizations are exempt and checkout bags larger than 28 by 36 inches and produce bags would not be subject to the ban.