Conn. Lawmaker Again Seeks To Ban Plastic Bags
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) - There is a renewed push to ban plastic bags in Connecticut.
As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, State Sen. Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) wants the state to follow in Westport's footsteps.
Meyer said the town has been successful in banning the hard to decompose bags.
Conn. Lawmaker Again Seeks To Ban Plastic Bags
"They take over 100 years to biodegrade. They kill animals, particularly aquatic animals. And they're bad for the environment generally," said Meyer. "The Environment Committee is going to take another look at this, we'll have a choice between a 5-cent charge, for example, or a 10-cent charge or a complete ban in the state of Connecticut like the town of Westport has done."
More than 400 million plastic bags are used and thrown away each year in Connecticut, Meyer said.
Meyer has proposed a ban with some exclusions for morning newspaper delivery and for wrapping meat just purchased at the store.
The effort has been tried and rejected once before in the state, Schneidau reported.
Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and every county in Hawaii are among the municipalities nationwide that have plastic bag bans in effect.
Westport's ban took effect in 2009.
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