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Darien Rejects Plastic Bag Ban

DARIEN, Conn. – Darien stores will continue to offer plastic shopping bags after a proposed ordinance banning the bags was voted down Monday night.

The effort to ban plastic shopping bags in Darien was spearheaded by the group Choose to Reuse in Darien, which has argued that the bags present a danger to the environment. The group sought a ban similar to those seen in towns like Westport, Conn. and Rye, N.Y., where merchants can only offer shoppers paper bags or reusable cloth bags.

The proposed ban was ultimately defeated by the Representative Town Meeting Monday night in a 46-36 vote. Many opponents of the ban argued that it was an unnecessary rule imposed by the government that would have little impact. They argued that plastic bags do not have a large negative impact on Darien's environment, and that they can be recycled through Darien's newly-implemented single-stream recycling program.

"I'm opposed to yet another ordinance that infers that we're not wise enough to make proper choices in our lives, and one that impinges on our personal freedom," said Arden Broecking, a member of the RTM. She said that Darien is an environmentally-conscious town where people already use reusable bags and that a law could drive food prices up, among other things.

Other opponents said that the ordinance could drive up the budget of the Environmental Protection Commission, which would have to enforce the ban, and that other types of plastic would still be around to cause potential damage to the environment.

Advocates for the ban sought to change the opponents' minds Monday night, arguing the approximately 6.6 million plastic bags used by Darien each year are harmful to the environment. They cited petitions signed by 2,300 members of the public, including 300 high school students, showing support for a ban.

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