Village to Consider Ban on Plastic Bags and Styrofoam

It's getting harder and harder to keep track of how many plastic bags we've all stashed up over the years. However, it seems our piles are growing a bit too large. On January 13th, the Village Trustees heard from concerned community member Michelle Sterling about the importance of a county-wide ban on single use plastic bags and styrofoam. Sterling opened her comments by noting that the Westchester County Board has already started work on drafting legislation for a county-wide ban and she strongly urged Scarsdale to consider a similar ban.

Sterling contends that the negative environmental effects of the use of plastic bags has been devastating, saying that pollution caused by the bags has pushed many of our neighboring towns to accept this legislature already. Rye, Mamaroneck, Larchmont and Hastings-On-Hudson are only a few of the areas that saw pollution in their surrounding waters and decided that the ban was in order.

In Scarsdale alone, we use six million bags a year. They don't just disappear after we empty the groceries--they feed into the rivers and oceans, killing animals and blocking important pipelines. Scarsdale resident Madelaine Eppenstein added to this argument for change, saying that "sometimes empirical evidence is too much to ignore." In many areas of Europe, plastic bags have already been banned. In Germany, the tax on purchasing plastic bags discourages many civilians from using them. Legislative bans on styrofoam have already been passed in New York City. Sterling made it clear that it is time for this kind of change in Scarsdale as well.

Sterling did address concerns businesses might have regarding the ban. Some retailers fear that it will drive customers away from their stores and into others. Sterling had an answer for that as well. Since the ban will be county-wide, customers of Scarsdale grocery stores won't be able to hop in the car and drive to the next town for their goods. People in every town will be forced to be more environmentally aware and bring recyclable bags. Though it may admittedly be hard to remember to B.Y.O.B on our shopping trips at first, the positive effects of shoppers care for the environment will be numerous, and should sustain the beauty of our town for many years to come.

Should we consider this ban? Will it protect and preserve our environment for future generations? Will it hurt Scarsdale business? What do you think? Leave a comment with your opinion and see what others think. 

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2014/11/28/plastic-bags-ban-ban-westchester-decides/19547239/