To the Editor:
I welcome your comments but, to date, nearly 75 percent of the comments from actual Madison County residents, not the paid industry lobbyists, favor a ban on plastic bags.
There is no evidence that charging a fee reduces use and, in fact, calling this a tax is a joke because even in a poor New York City neighborhood, six to seven plastic bags is only going to add 35 cents to the grocery tab.
It is farcical to suggest that this is an onerous tax on poor people. Prior surveys done in Lebanon show as much or more support for a ban on convenience and grocery store plastic bags, as these are the most flimsy and break down into pollutants rather quickly. Most are not recycled. The market for these plastic bags is shrinking and quite limited now. China, the largest importer of recycling products,  has taken steps to reduce imports for recycling.
Our solid waste committee is going to be making final law adjustments in the coming weeks (mainly reducing the number of exemptions we found out are not required by law), and I hope to see a law
enacting a ban on certain types of plastic bags used by grocery and convenience stores to be voted on in November or December. Stores and consumers will have six months to prepare, if it is adopted, before it goes into effect.
Please let me know your thoughts. I do not agree with the fee approach that the county originally considered, but our research revealed it is simply not effective, puts more money in the pockets
of the industry and is viewed as a financial nightmare to manage by our county treasurer to enforce and collect.
Stores can make reusable bags available for sale and even find advertisers and promotions that give them away to customers that would make it easier for shoppers to transition. The greatest proponents of bag fees are paid lobbyists for the industry.
Please share this with interested others.
Jim Goldstein, Lebanon Supervisor

By martha

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