Much research behind Ulster plastic bag law

Dear Editor, The Ulster County Legislature’s Bring Your Own Bag (BYOBag) Law could be the first countywide ban/fee legislation on single-use plastic and paper bags in New York state.

There are three main themes behind the legislation.

About 10 million to 20 million metric tons of single-use plastic ends up in our oceans. Microplastics found in the digestive tracts of shrimp, oysters, clams and larger aquatic mammals are continuing reminders that wildlife mistakes such man-made slurry for food.

Applying a 5-cent fee to paper bags is crucial. Banning single-use plastic bags quickly shifts demand to single-use paper, dramatically increasing overhead costs to retailers. Research shows that with a fee structure on paper, consumer behavior shifts rapidly to reusable, consumer supplied bags.

The final, pivotal reason for a ban/fee structure stems from closing a well-known and equally well-documented legal backdoor for deep-pocketed industry apologists to challenge the law.

A careful survey of the available research points unequivocally to the efficacy of a ban/ fee structure in changing consumer behavior at the checkout counter. Charging a fee, sends a powerful, unforgettable and self-reinforcing message — instantly. And that is the point. It places everyone, immediately, at the forefront of change.

Ulster County Legislature’s BYOBag law incorporates years of research and the real-world best practices across the country and around the world. The effort is more than commendable and is deserving of the support of readers.

Doug Adams

Marbletown, N.Y.