The Ten-Cent Paper Bag Charge Ordinance Works
To the Editor:
As many will recall, in 2019 Newtown enacted a ten-cent charge for paper bags at retail stores (a charge that goes directly to the business owners, not to the town) in order to encourage residents to bring reusable bags when shopping. There were numerous public hearings regarding this legislation, and townspeople came out overwhelmingly in favor of it (even, in one instance, overflowing out of the meeting room at the Municipal Center into the hallway), indicating it reflected the will of the people. This local legislation coincided with the State of Connecticut passing a plastic bag policy that outlawed single-use plastic bags (those of four mils or less) as a component of the global fight against plastic in our environment. Connecticut did the right thing, and to our credit Newtown went one step further and outsmarted the state. The fact is that paper bags have an even larger carbon footprint than do single-use plastic bags (though both are destructive). The ten-cent charge works in encouraging residents to bring their own bags when shopping.
But now the Republican-leaning Legislative Council has quietly proposed to repeal the ordinance establishing the ten-cent charge. This is a foolhardy move with no common-sense features. Sadly, one suspects political power playing and nothing more, to the detriment of all of us and future generations. Furthermore (as mentioned earlier) contrary to misguided claims, the charge goes directly to the retailer, not to the town. And contrary to misguided fears, people have not chosen to shop in other towns rather than shop here at home, and retailers have not left Newtown. The ten-cent charge not only works, it is popular. It’s a win-win — for the retailers, for the customers, and for the environment.
What can you do about this proposal to repeal this popular and effective piece of legislation?
You can come to the Legislative Council public hearing on January 18 at 7 pm at the Newtown Municipal Center and you can write to the Legislative Council to express your concerns. Otherwise this important piece of legislation could be quietly repealed. If you care about climate change, if you care about the world our children are inheriting, if you care about doing the responsible thing, come to the meeting and write to the Legislative Council at: newtown-ct.gov/legislative-council/webforms/contact-newtown-legislative-council
Sincerely,
Sue Kassirer
Sandy Hook
State trumps town. Eliminate the bag fee.
Having a well-coordinated group of activists attend and speak at meetings does not mean a proposed ordinance “reflected the will of the people.” I attended some of these meetings–my friend was badgered in the hallway by these activists on the way into the meeting room. When I spoke against the proposed ordinance at public comment, I was rudely interrupted by some of these activists. If you had an opinion different than the activists’, you had to have a very strong spine to speak up, not to mention to even attend the meetings. I know business owners who were against the ordinance, but did not want to become politically active, understandably. The vote to pass the ordinance was along party lines–the 8 Democrats voted Yay, the 4 Republicans voted Nay. The voters have now installed 9 Republicans and 3 Democrats to the Legislative Council–the largest party split allowed by Charter. So, it’s a big stretch to say that this ordinance was “popular.”
And I have seen no data to indicate that the ordinance has been “a win-win — for the retailers, for the customers, and for the environment.”
Interesting term “quietly repealed” — if that means it’s been publicly announced and discussed, and a public hearing will be held, as called for by the Charter, then “quietly repealed” it is.