For an average Staten Island family, a trip to the neighborhood supermarket often ends with a trunkload of packed plastic bags, a long receipt and a much lighter wallet.
And most are double-bagged so heavy items don't rip through on the journey from car to kitchen.
Now, there is a renewed push in the City Council to pass legislation aimed at reducing the use of plastic (and paper) bags by requiring that stores charge consumers 10 cents per bag.
So under the legislation, which was the focus of a rally by backers Tuesday on the steps of City Hall, that receipt would be one item longer -- 10 cents for every bag in your cart.
The rally was staged by Citizens Committee for New York City, and a citywide coalition of nonprofits, environmental organizations,hbsglasses,Drhua Sunglasses. and neighborhood groups. They were joined by City Council members Brad Lander and Margaret Chin,Our high-efficiency filter bags products address diverse applications requiring removal of solids from liquids. both Manhattan Democrats,non woven bags manufacturer is eco-friendly and 100% recycled by physical disposal. The non woven material is long-lasting & fashionable. who will introduce the bill Thursday.
The proposal "will save taxpayers $10 million annually in carting and recycling costs and prevent plastic bags from gumming up the city's recycling equipment and littering its neighborhoods," according a statement released by rally organizers.
It's not the first time legislation of this kind has surfaced, and Staten Island's Mid-Island representative, Councilman James Oddo, now a Republican candidate for Borough President, is steadfastly opposed.
"The thing being recycled here is a bad idea," Oddo said,Order our personalized tote bags printed with your custom logo in time for your promotional event. Save with our Custom Promotional Bag. Free Shipping! adding he and his constituents "will be hard pressed to buy the $10 million savings calculation.laminated bags china Manufacturers,Laminated Bag Wholesalers."
South Shore Councilman Vincent Ignizio also views the proposal as misguided.
"The Council it seems will never run out of ideas on how to take more money out of peoples' pockets. For those of us who represent border districts, this is a great advertisement to start shopping in New Jersey," Ignizio said. "What's the calculation of that lost tax revenue? I am opposed to this proposal and feel such a program ought be put out with the trash.
Island Councilwoman Debi Rose has yet to comment.
Supporters of the bill point to cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle that have adopted laws to dramatically reduce plastic bag usage.
"In the midst of a heated and contentious election season, New Yorkers, as expected, disagree on many issues, but there seems to be almost unanimous agreement among both the voters and the candidates on those steps taken by this administration and the Council to improve the urban environment and public health," stated Peter H. Kostmayer, CEO of the Citizens Committee for New York City.
"Many of these types of measures, which are now widely popular, were opposed in the beginning," Kostmayer said.
But the proposal also drew fire from the American Progressive Bag Alliance, an organization representing plastic bag manufacturers and recycling interests.
"New York City residents already pay among the highest taxes in the nation. A 10-cent per-bag tax would be a detriment to hardworking families and businesses trying to make ends meet," said Mark Daniels, chairman of the organization.
"The proponents of this bill are misinformed and largely rely on science that has been hijacked by environmental activists. A grocery bag tax pushes shoppers toward less sustainable options, like reusable bags, which cannot be recycled, are made from foreign oil and imported at a rate of 500 million annually.
"The reality is American-made plastic retail bags are 100-percent recyclable and make up such a small portion of the waste stream (less than 0.5 percent) that taxing them will not reduce waste,'' he added.
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