Southampton Village Plans Plastic Bag Ban Vote

Southampton Village may become the first municipality on Long Island to .

The village board voted unanimously Thursday night to hold a public hearing April 14 on a proposed law that requires stores to only provide reusable bags or recyclable paper bags to customers. The law not only targets grocery stores, but all other retail stores as well and restaurants.

The legislation came at the urging of the village’s “green” committee, Southampton Advocates for the Village Environment.

“We think it will be a great thing for the village to undertake this,” SAVE member Mackie Finnerty told the village board Thursday. “The main goal is reusable bags — it’s not a fight between plastic and paper.”

She said many stores already sell reusable bags and she expects more will follow suit if the plastic bag ban becomes law.

Plastic bags litter the village and threaten wildlife, such as birds pecking at bags on the beach, Finnerty said. “They really are everywhere and really noticeable at this time of year.”

Checkout bags larger than 28 by 36 inches and produce bags would not be subject to the ban.

The ban would come into play at retail stores, sidewalk sales, farmers’ markets, flea markets and restaurants. Yard sales, tag sales and sales by nonprofit organizations would be exempt.

As defined by the legislation, reusable bags have handles and are specifically designed for reuse. They must be made of fabric or durable plastic at least 2.25 mils, or 0.00225 inches, thick.

Recyclable paper bags, to meet the law’s criteria, must contain no old-growth fiber, be 100 percent recyclable, contain a minimum of 40 percent recycled content and display the words “reusable” and “recyclable.”

The legislation does not include mention of biodegradable and compostable plastic bags.

If the proposed law passes, once on the books it would give retail establishments six months to exhaust their supply of plastic bags and make the switch to paper and reusable bags.

Violating the ban could result in a fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment up to 15 days, or both under state penal law. Each day the ban is violated will be considered a separate offense.

Though Mayor Mark Epley and the four village trustees all agreed on holding a public hearing to consider the legislation, Trustee Paul Robinson was not sold on the idea.

Robinson said he considers himself an environmentalist — saying he drives a car that gets 45 miles per gallon and uses reusable bags himself — but would like to find an alternative to legislating the problems Finnerty noted.

He suggested that used plastic bags could replace the “Mutt Mitts” the village makes available for picking up after pets. He said that on a recent trip to Florida he became aware of a program run by the 4H club there in which young volunteers pick up and collect old plastic bags to be vended for pet owners.

Trustee Nancy McGann said she prefers the “Mutt Mitts,” which are degradable.

SAVE member Susan Dubner criticized Robinson's pitch, doubtful bag collection would be effective, saying that only 1 to 6 percent of plastic bags get collected and recycled even with recycling programs in place.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents manufacturers and recyclers of plastic bags, says history indicates plastic bags bans will just cause businesses to move to paper. On its website, the council states that “For every seven trucks needed to deliver paper bags, only one truck is needed for the same number of plastic bags, helping to save energy and reduce emissions,” and “It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it does to recycle a pound of paper.”

According to the council, the Environmental Protection Agency said about 13 percent of plastic bags and wraps were recycled in 2008. The EPA website states that in 2009 the category of plastics that includes bags, sacks and wraps was recycled at 9 percent.

Trustee Rich Yastrzemski said he does not want to over-legislate but finds a plastic bag ban to be “pretty non-intrusive.”