Suffolk County Legislators Working To Ban Plastic Bags

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Suffolk County legislators are working to ban plastic bags.

Suffolk County legislator Dr. William Spencer told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall plastic bag use is not just a problem in grocery stores. The bags are everywhere: on the streets, flying through the air, and in bodies of water.

The environmental impact prompted Spencer to propose legislation that would ban stores from having plastic bags for customers to use.

"There's a recent survey by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment of over 500 Suffolk families, over 80 percent support either a ban or a free on plastic bags. So the public wants this," Spencer explained.

If successful, the county wide ban would be the first of its kind in the state of New York.

Within the county, Southampton, Patchogue, and East Hampton have already put plastic bag bans in place.