Following East Hampton and Southampton Villages' decision to ban plastic bags at commercial establishments, at least one Amagansett business has voluntarily opted to do the same. Customers of Cirillo’s Market, commonly known as IGA, are now forced to make due with paper bags. Believing that "It's the direction things are going in," Frances Cirillo said, "Ultimately, it's the right thing to do."
While the environmentally friendly moves by the villages and Ms. Cirillo are laudable, we prefer the revenue raising method of our nation's capital. Instead of an outright bag ban, the District of Columbia passed a law that encourages shoppers to use their own by charging a "tax" $.05 per bag. Implemented in 2009, effects of this law were immediate. The city raised $150,000 for cleanup of the Anacostia River and saw plastic bag usage drop from a monthly average of around 23 million to around 3 million in one only month.
· Ditches Plastic, Offers Paper [EH Star]
· D.C. bag tax collects $150,000 in January for river cleanup [Washington Post]
· All Previous Plastic Bag Ban Coverage [Curbed Hamptons]
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