KINGSTON – Ulster County lawmakers are considering banning plastic bags in retail establishments.
Those bags, used in businesses ranging from supermarkets to clothing
stores, are considered a scourge on the environment because they are not
biodegradable, noted Richard Parete, chairman of the legislature’s
Energy and Environment Committee.
“The main thing is to get those plastic bags out of the waste stream because they don’t recycle, they don’t degrade, they are just not good for the environment,” Parete said. “The goal is to get people to use reusable bags; to bring the same bags in every time they shop.”
Discussion is in the early stages. Among the issues is whether small stores should be included in a ban.
