Proposed Law to Place Fee on Plastic Bags in Croton Debated
Croton-on-Hudson residents and members of the Village Board were divided last week over an updated version of a proposed law that would place a fee on single-use plastic bags and encourage patrons to bring reusable shopping bags.
Following several meetings where residents urged officials to pass a village-wide ban on plastic bags, the board voted 3-2 last Monday to review a measure that would place a 20-cent fee on both plastic and paper bags. Mayor Brian Pugh said the current policy is preferred by the Food Industry Alliance, a trade group that represents the grocery industry who has threated legal action if the village enacts a ban on plastic.
ShopRite, the only major grocer in Croton, is a member of the Food Industry Alliance.
“The Food Industry Alliance (FIA) indicated to us that a 20-cent fee on bags would be acceptable,” Pugh said. “Our friends at FIA have a history of bringing litigation against communities that institute ban policies.”
Pugh cited that Hastings-on-Hudson was the victim of a lawsuit by the FIA that cost upwards of $100,000. He said defending a lawsuit against a ban would not be the most efficient use of village resources, adding that the money could support other environmental initiatives. Pugh added that legislative cooperation rather than legal conflict could see a 50 percent reduction in plastic.
“I think that either a ban or a sufficiently high fee would go a long way, either policy could achieve the objective of encouraging reusable bag use,” Pugh said. “I think at a 20-cent fee virtually no one will use a plastic bag.”
The proposed legislation would impose a fee of 20-cents on both paper and single-use plastic bags in an operating space of over 5,000 square feet, which only includes ShopRite and CVS. The ordinance would still allow plastic bags to be used for meat and produce, prescription drugs, newspapers and unwrapped prepared goods.
In addition, customers using the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) would be exempt from paying a fee on single-use bags.
The law would establish a Reusable Bag Task Force that would encourage the board to consider increasing the fee, an outright ban on plastic bags, and expansion of the definition of covered stores to include additional establishments if plastic has not decreased by 50 percent.
While Trustees Ann Gallelli and Ian Murtaugh agreed with the proposed measure, Trustees Amy Attias and Sherry Horowitz argued the village should enact a ban on plastic, place a fee on paper bags and not be threatened by the FIA.
“I do not care what is acceptable to the Food Industry Alliance. I don’t care if he sues us, we can save money in other places,” Attias said. “As a board we have a fiduciary responsibility to our residents in this village, but we have a way deeper responsibility to our planet.”
Residents in attendance were discouraged by the boards current policy, including members of the Croton Climate Initiative who originally presented the board with a petition with over 1,000 signatures from residents, shoppers and businesses in support of a ban and a 10-cent fee on paper bags.
Croton Climate Initiative leader Lisa Moir said she was extremely frustrated with the board’s decision. She added further discontent with the boards refusal to consult the Climate group before presenting the proposed law to the public.
“I am disappointed and dismayed that the leadership in this room has not been able to listen to their constituents and make perhaps the difficult decision, but a decision that is for the health and safety of its constituents and residents of this village,” Moir said. “Other towns have taken the responsible act of passing legislation.”
About a half-dozen other communities in Westchester have previously approved similar laws, including New Castle and Pleasantville. Last spring, the county announced plans to create a law prohibiting single-use plastic bags. Governor Andrew Cuomo has also toiled with the idea of placing a state-wide ban on plastic.
“I think 20-cents for a plastic bag is not going to do the trick, the whole idea is to change people’s habits and to force them into bringing their own bags,” Deborah Hayn said. “So, I just don’t understand why other towns can do it and we can’t?”
Pugh said both proposed policies, a ban on plastic and a fee for paper and a fee on both paper and plastic, will be thoroughly vetted through the environmental review process. He said the board will continue to consider both policies and reach an outcome that will satisfy both the public and the boards responsibility for fiscal stewardship.
“This tonight is far from a final decision,” Pugh said.
