As a resident of Southampton Village, I have to say, I’m impressed with the follow-through on the plastic bag ban, and I’m extremely happy about it. Plastic bags versus paper, it’s really a no-brainer when it comes to the environment.
Since April, Southampton Town has stepped up efforts to increase the recycling of plastic bags and reduce their presence in the environment. Now able to tout several months of success, the municipality’s “A Greener Southampton–Solution is in the Bag” campaign is coming to local beaches.
On Saturday, July 14, the Town will host a reusable tote bag giveaway at Sagg Main, Ponquogue and Rogers beaches from 11 a.m. through 2 p.m. (or until supplies run out). According to Councilwoman Christine Preston Scalera, the Town Board’s co-liaison to the Plastic Bag Education Task Force, the beach project is a joint undertaking with the Hampton Jitney, which has helped underwrite the cost of 1,000 canvas tote bags. The Hampton Coffee Company and King Kullen have also donated gift certificates and reusable grocery bags for the giveaway event.
Keep up the good, green fight.
There is a program that is very successful out of state, such as in a few counties in Maryland. The Maryland program is not a complete ban on them but a small cost to the person using plastic bags. If they want to use plastic bags, they would pay the supermarket 10 cents per bag. Instead of paying those 10 cents, people are buying reusable bags. And they’ve been highly compliant with the change and looked forward to it.
You pretty much stated exactly what they are doing in Southampton except they charge 5 cents for the paper bags.