Madison County officials have decided to wait on voting on a proposed law that would ban plastic carryout grocery bags following the recommendation of the county’s Solid Waste and Recycling Committee. On Oct. 26, the committee decided to wait on the vote until members knew what action New York state takes on a statewide plastic bag ban.
“The decision came down to our wish to serve our taxpayers,” said James Goldstein, Lebanon town supervisor and recycling committee. “It would not make sense to vote on a law, then wait for six months to have the state approve it, and then have the state pass laws that would nullify any laws we passed.”
The county would also have had to undertake a State Environmental Quality Review, which would have gauged the impact of the law on the local environment, before enacting the law. “The SEQR would have cost our taxpayers thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees and to have them write reports, and we decided to wait,” Goldstein said.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is pushing for a recommendation from the state Plastic Bag Task Force by the end of December.
“The governor is pushing for something he can include in his state address for 2018, and I guess they will proceed from there,” Goldstein said.
Cultural Shift
County Recycling Director James Zecca attended a roundtable discussion of the issue on Oct. 11 in Albany. During his visit Zecca told the task force that he would like to see a ban. Goldstein said that type of pro-active thinking has been absent from other counties in Central New York.
“I know the Onondaga County legislature has declined to act on the issue, and so has Chenango County,” he said. “Chenango County has experienced economic downturn over the past 30 years and it may be that they don’t wish to invest in various pro-environment projects.”
Madison County residents, Goldstein said, also approve a bag ban. “We have 70 percent of our poll respondents agreeing with the ban, and the rest of the respondents are putting convenience before the environment or they are special interest groups who want to save money on operating costs.”
Representatives from the Price Chopper and Tops grocery store chains who attended the meeting Oct. 26 agreed that a statewide policy would benefit shoppers and retailers alike. Goldstein said he wants to see a policy that enforces an outright ban
“They think charging 10 cents per bag would reduce usage, but that only adds up to a dollar for ten bags, so I disagree,” Goldstein said. “The bags would remain in the waste stream. They kill animals, and pollute the water and soil. And they leave behind toxins when they disintegrate.”
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