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DARIEN, Conn. – Choose to Reuse in Darien is pushing ahead with its plan to implement a townwide ban on plastic shopping bags. It has gone before many town boards and talked with businesses all over Darien, and the Board of Selectmen will further discuss the proposed ordinance at its meeting Tuesday.
At its last meeting, the board heard testimony from Choose to Reuse, as well as from Greg Palmer of Palmer's Market and other representatives of the supermarket industry. Palmer argued that, although plastic bags pose a threat to the environment and agreed their use should be limited, a legal ban on the bags could harm local grocers and drive business to surrounding towns.
But Darien resident Germaine Hecq told the board a ban would infringe on a citizen's right to make their own choices. "Is the next step that you're going to tell us how many people we can have in our cars?" Hecq asked the board. "I don't like you taking away my choice. It's my choice if I want to put a leaky roast in with my vegetables."
In an email, Darien resident Chris Filmer wrote that, although people will want to make their own choices and corporate interest will protect the status quo, evidence points to the damaging effects of plastic bags. Legislators should do something about it, Filmer said.
"One of the things good government can do is save us from ourselves," Filmer said. Some legislators "will take the path of least resistance and latch onto the critics who cry, 'Don't take away my rights,' even when by exercising those rights, they are soiling their own nests and the nests of others, with devastating consequences."
The Board of Selectmen will discuss the proposed ordinance Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. in Room 206 of Town Hall.
Do you think people should have a choice about plastic bags, or should the government step in? Tell us in the comments below, on Facebook and on Twitter.
Comments (2)
It is unfortunate that there remain some in Darien who do not recognize the real damage being done to our environment by insisting on the use of plastic bags; or even worse, that they make not care.
The question of fairness, or rights, is consistently cited as the argument against a mandate. I feel that the persistent efforts of those many who are acting to restore and maintain our waters, are being compromised by fellow Darienites; being forced to work all the more to offset the indifference (or perhaps selfishness) of others. We, in this educated and thoughtful community, have a right and obligation to do what is humanly and reasonably possible to ensure a clean and healthy environment that we can ALL share.
Given the corporate policy of Darien stores contributing most to these plastic pollutants, it’s safe to say now that a voluntary approach will not work. There will still be those consumers who will insist on filling 5, 10 or more plastic bags, only to end up in our rivers or shoreline -- even if they are temporarily repurposed.
I’m sure there were those in Westport who also cited their “rights” in opposition to a ban on plastic bags. However, it seems that the Westport community and commerce survived this action, as they recognized as an ever-worsening situation in their own surroundings. Surely, we in Darien as a whole ALSO care enough and are erudite enough to weather a very temporary inconvenience as we transition to a cleaner environment.
As quoted by Mr. Filmer in an email reference in The Daily Darien, "One of the things good government can do is save us from ourselves…"
It will hurt local businesses because I for one will go to stores outside of Darien to do some of my shopping. BTW since I use plastic bags to pick up my dog droppings I take it that from now on it is more environmentally friendly to leave it where he drops it? I will if I cannot get plastic bags..