Guilford and Branford Being Urged To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

You can now count Branford as among the towns who are talking about banning single-use plastic bags. The Representative Town Meeting held a discussion with members of the community who are urging the town take action on the matter at its most recent meeting.

A proposed ordinance is expected to be discussed at the RTM's Rules and Ordinance Committee.

Members of the Branford group, called Bring Your Own, appeared before the Branford RTM on December 11th, to push the initiative. They told the RTM they have the support of hundreds of residents and close to two dozen in merchants.

Recently a group in Guilford appeared before that town's Board of Selectmen to also suggest that Guilford get behind the initiative.

In Guilford, Terri Cain explained that Bring Your Own (BYO) is a group of residents concerned about the global problem of plastic waste. They have been building a community consensus and partnership since the spring.

A major partner has been the Guilford High School Environmental Club.

Molly Babbin a recent GHS graduate gave a brief presentation on plastic pollution in the environment, particularly in oceans. The largest contributor is single use plastic bags. She noted that 60,000 bags are used every five seconds. On average people use a bag for 12 minutes and it lasts 450 years in the environment. Only 1-3% is recycled.

She added that 32 countries have banned plastic bags and that California and Hawaii have bans. The towns of Westport and Greenwich have bans as well.

Grocery chain giant Kroger recently announced that it will be discontinuing single-use plastic bags in its stores by 2025 as part of its ongoing sustainability program, called "Zero Hunger | Zero Waste." The move towards sustainability will encompass all of Kroger's family of stores, including: Quality Food Centers, Food 4 Less, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Scoopers, City Market, Fry's, Harris Teeter, and more.

Additionally, national chains Costco and Aldi's do not use plastic bags.

According to a press release from the brand, an estimated 100 billion single-use plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S. every year and less than 5 percent of plastic bags are recycled. "The environmental consequences of single-use plastic bags are well known," Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president and COO, said in the release.

Back in Branford and Guilford, advocates state options include a straight ban on plastic with a transition to paper or banning plastic and adding a separate fee on the paper bags. The ultimate goal is to have people bring their own bags.

Photo by Jack Kramer