Bag It!

Plastic Bag Ban on the Horizon for Saratoga Springs?

By Megan Irene Kretz

For Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS –Most of us already know how detrimental plastic bags are to the environment. In the United States alone, we use and throw away more than 100 million bags per year and there is strong evidence that suggests bags leech toxic chemicals that ultimately end up in the food chain. Two years ago, a small group decided to spearhead an effort to reduce plastic bag use in Saratoga Springs, but they didn’t want their approach to rely on environmental scare tactics. “We wanted to do whatever we could to have a positive impact. It’s important not to dwell on the negatives,” said Margie Shepard, co-chair of Sustainable Saratoga’s BYOBag project. The small group that Margie was involved with eventually became a project of Sustainable Saratoga, a non-profit organization with the goal of creating a more environmentally friendly community. 

The group began their effort by researching the science behind the damage plastic causes and finding other communities who have enacted similar bag bans. The group then created a game plan for reducing plastic bag usage in Saratoga Springs and presented their proposal to the city council. The BYOBag committee also met with local business owners to discuss the issue and address their concerns. The group has recently launched a petition and is soliciting the support of area residents in anticipation of their next steps. Shepard explained, “The new mayor [Joanne Yepsen] is very supportive and between her support and the support of businesses, we decided to move forward and ask the city council to pass an ordinance banning bags this fall.”

Shepard stated that close to 90 percent of downtown businesses are in favor of a plastic bag pan and that many shops are already using biodegradable or recycled paper bags. However, a potential ban does raise many logistical questions for businesses. According to Shepard, her group is calling for a ban of thin film, single-use plastic bags, for example the type you might receive at the grocery store or when you order take-out. The bag ban would not include heavy-duty plastic bags, dry cleaner bags, or plastic produce bags. If an ordinance passes and a ban is enacted, business owners will be allowed a grace period to use up their current stock of plastic bags and prepare for the transition. Owners may have to find new suppliers for paper and reusable bags and they may even have to reconfigure their checkout area. “Every place comes up with their own process,” Shepard remarked. For example, a bag ban was recently enacted in the community of Great Barrington, Massachusetts and local grocery store owners came together and agreed to all charge ten cents per paper bag. This created an even playing field for both customers and business owners.

Although using paper bags may be a better alternative, they do require a lot of natural resources and energy. “The best choice is to have your own bag. Then you don’t have to weigh the impact of paper vs. plastic,” remarked Shepard. Her group is doing their part to encourage the use of reusable bags at the Saratoga Springs Farmer’s Market. On the second and fourth Saturday of the month, you can visit the group’s tent to sign the petition and buy your own reusable bag. The bag features an image of Spencer Trask’s iconic “Spirit of Life” statue and can be purchased for ten dollars.

Many other local groups and businesses also offer reusable bags as an option. Marianne Barker, owner of Impressions of Saratoga, began selling reusable bags in her store about seven years ago.  The high quality bags feature designs by local artists such as Jerry Bradley and Greg Montgomery. To encourage use, Impressions of Saratoga holds weekly “Tote Bag Tuesdays”. If a customer brings in their reusable bag, they’ll receive a ten percent discount off their purchase. Barker is a self-described “religious recycler”, but when it comes to completely banning plastic bags, she remains a bit skeptical. “Realistically, I think it would be a big inconvenience because of all the tourists that come through in the summertime,” she said. As for charging customers for a paper bag, Barker remarked, “It’s like fining customers for not having a reusable bag. I can see that being problematic.” Barker stressed that her store is all for creating a more sustainable community, as long as the efforts are within reason. “We support anything that has to do with saving the environment, but ultimately it has to be realistic.” 

As for our local grocery stores, all of the big chains offer plastic bags free of charge, but they differ when it comes to bag reimbursements. Hannaford provides an extensive recycling center at their store, but they don’t currently offer a reimbursement if you bring your own reusable bags. Price Chopper, on the other hand, will offer three-cents per bag and Target will give you a five-cent per bag credit. Plastic bag bans are a growing trend in both small and large U.S. cities. Recently, Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to enact a bag ban. While there was some initial confusion, large stores such as Wal-Mart and Target have found ways to accommodate the ban. A few hundred miles to the north, the city of San Francisco also decided to ban plastic bags. President of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Henry Karnilowicz believes that the impact on businesses has been fairly minimal so far. “It’s not costing merchants anything. People are going to come in to buy things anyway,” he said. Karnilowicz cited an immediate increase in people carrying their own bags with them. And for those that didn’t bring a bag and didn’t want to pay the ten-cent fee, he said many opted to just carry small purchases by hand. When it comes to patronage, Karnilowicz doesn’t think customers resent stores for not providing plastic bags. “From the get-go, we had moaning and groaning about it, but I think everyone realizes that it wasn’t the merchants, it was the city council who made the decision.”

Throughout the summer, Sustainable Saratoga will continue selling reusable bags at their information tent at the Farmer’s Market. For more information on the proposed ban or to learn more about the petition, visit http://www.sustainablesaratoga.org/work/byobag/.