More support for proposed law offered at latest public hearing

BY Jason Emerson

Editor

Public sentiment for a county-wide ban on plastic grocery bags is currently running two-to-one in favor of the ban — and Tuesday night’s public hearing on the issue only solidified that gap.

The public hearing — the third so far on the proposed legislation — had a small attendance but, of the members of the public who offered opinions, six stated their support for the ban, while three opposed it.

“There has been an overwhelming response in favor of the ban,” said Brookfield Supervisor John Salka, who is a member of the county board’s Solid Waste Committee, which held the July 25 hearing. “We all know there’s a problem [environmentally] … but I believe businesses also have legitimate concerns with cost [of using paper bags instead of plastic bags], and I don’t think the government should impose undue costs on businesses —it’s for us to decide.”

The proposed law, entitled “carryout bag reduction,” introduced by Town of Lebanon Supervisor James Goldstein, seeks to protect the environment, reduce pollution, control litter and improve the aesthetics of the county by eliminating the single-use plastic carryout bag from certain retail stores.

Opponents of the measure, such as Gary Paddock, of Oneida, said it “goes against our liberties and our freedoms” to prevent people and businesses from using the type of bags they prefer. Oneida business owner Elise Allen said it will drastically increase her costs since paper nags cost six times as much as plastic bags — money she would prefer to use on advertising. “I feel people should be responsible for their own actions,” she said, and businesses should not be punished because others litter or do not recycle plastic bags properly.

Supporters of the bill say it is a common-sense solution that protects the environment, is not an undue burden on businesses and requires only a culture shift to get used to. “Change is hard; it’s a habit we’ve become accustomed to, just like smoking used to be a habit,” said Kelli Johnson, of Cazenovia. “This is all about a culture change.”

Other supporters of the law say that by passing the ban, Madison County can be a leader in the state and inspire other municipalities to do the same. “We can be that small step,” said Barbara Dan, also of Cazenovia.

According to the legislation, nearly every type of store in the county would be prohibited from providing plastic carryout bags to customers, and may not prevent customers from using, or charge a fee for using, reusable bags. Restaurants and liquor stores would be exempt from the ban. The law also requires the county to provide free reusable bags to county residents as well as education on the benefits of using such bags. Law violators would face civil penalties of $250 for the first violation and $500 for each subsequent violation.

The first two public hearings on the issue, on May 9 and June 13, were attended by numerous people and saw dozens of county residents — as well as environmental advocates, small business owners and grocery industry lobbyists — offer their opinions on the proposed plastic bag ban.

During the May 9 hearing, more people spoke in opposition to the law than in favor of it. Since then, however, supporters have outweighed opponents.

According to committee information, as of July 24, of the 185 written opinions on the proposed ban, 140 have been in favor, 36 have been opposed and nine have offered other suggestions for addressing the issue.

James Zecca, Director of the Madison County Dept. of Solid Waste and Sanitation, said that of the 185 responses so far, more than 50 have come from Cazenovia residents. Most of the speakers at the July 25 public hearing were, in fact, from Cazenovia.

With the conclusion of the third public hearing on Tuesday — this one held in the evening at public request to allow people who work during the day to attend — the proposed law will next have to be voted out of committee and then debated by the full board before a final vote is taken, all of which could take a couple of months, said Salka. “We’re giving this a lot of thought … doing our jobs,” he said.