A service we take for granted...
When we do our shopping we expect to pay for the products we take home. But surprisingly, we assume that the bags, for which the store owner paid, are free. Free disposable bags have become a service we take for granted. What we don't realize is that the bags come with another price. Every year we throw away 100 billion of plastic grocery bags in the USA. An average person uses 425 plastic grocery bags per year.
Plastic bags are concerning because:
They do not biodegrade
They endanger marine life and wildlife in general
They shed chemical particles that are found in our food chain and our bodies
They litter our beaches and the oceans
They have very few recycle options
They can clog the machines in recycle facilities
They use fossil fuels or ethane gas for production
They use fossil fuels for distribution
They disperse toxins and air pollution in incinerators
They cost money to clean up
They add to the expenses of our solid waste disposal
They are part of our climate change problem
What about paper bags?
Regretfully, (recycled) paper bags are not a good alternative. We need 14 million trees to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags that we use every year. It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag, and the production of paper requires a tremendous amount of water and chemicals.
Our Initiative
To reduce the use of disposable bags, we want to encourage the use of reusable bags. This is why we will propose to our town boards of Mount Kisco and Bedford an ordinance similar to those that have already been successfully adopted in Hastings, Armonk, Chappaqua, Millwood and Rye. It is an ordinance that bans the use of single use plastic grocery bags in grocery stores, convenience stores and in pharmacies. Take-out bags will be still available at those same stores for a fee of 10 cents. Please help us to convince our town boards to make the right choice. Please sign the petition!
Proposed Reusable Bag Ordinance - Resident and Merchant information
Single-use plastic shopping bags, used as take-out bags, will be banned in ALL stores.
Grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores will be required to charge 10 cents for take out bags.
The stores keep the bag charge and display the charge separately on customer receipts.
The following are permitted without charge:
Single-use bags or take-out bags, used as produce bag, to protect liquids, articles with moisture like fish,
meat, non-prepacked sandwiches and fresh vegetable produce.
Newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, greeting card bags, paper prescription
drug bags, liquor store bags and boutique bags for luxury items.