Letter: Bristol did its homework and passed a law for the greater good

Posted 4/12/18

On Feb. 28, the Bristol Town Council joined Barrington, Portsmouth, Newport, Jamestown, Middletown, Block Island, more than 60 cities and towns in Massachusetts, including Boston, and the State of …

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Letter: Bristol did its homework and passed a law for the greater good

Posted

On Feb. 28, the Bristol Town Council joined Barrington, Portsmouth, Newport, Jamestown, Middletown, Block Island, more than 60 cities and towns in Massachusetts, including Boston, and the State of California, by passing an ordinance eliminating the distribution of single-use plastic bags. This ordinance was presented to the Bristol Town Council by the Conservation Commission following a town study they worked on with Roger Williams University.

As a result of that study, they learned that only 1 percent of these bags are recycled, by bringing them to a collection site like Stop & Shop, as they cannot be placed in our recycling bins. The rest of these bags end up in the landfill, in our trees, our creeks, our harbor, and the bay.

As a part of their study, every business in the Bristol Merchants Association was contacted, and the chain stores were visited by members of the Conservation Commission and RWU students. This ordinance received the support and endorsement of the Bristol Merchants Association.

Barrington’s ordinance has been in place for five years and has had little to no impact on local businesses. Reusable bags hold far more goods than either plastic or paper, are better for the environment, and are cheaper for our businesses, as customers bring them in or purchase them.

The key provisions of this new ordinance: 1. The distribution of single-use plastic bags by businesses will no longer be permitted beginning Jan. 1, 2019 (This will give businesses time to plan and adapt to the new ordinance) 2. There are exceptions for: a) Barrier bags to hold fresh meat, fish, produce, baked goods, etc. b) Newspaper bags c) Double ended dry-cleaner bags d) Charity usage (although the East Bay Food Pantry has eliminated the use of these plastic bags and provides reusable bags to their clients).

The last time an ordinance like this was proposed, the Bristol Recycles ad-hoc committee was formed to educate the public. Ultimately, they introduced an ordinance requiring recycling bins to be present at the curb for trash to be collected. The Town Council passed this ordinance and we have seen an increase in our recycling rates. We are making progress and this new ordinance was the next step.

The future of our picturesque town, and our environment, are so much more important than a moment of convenience.

Timothy E. Sweeney

82 Church St.

Mr. Sweeney is vice chairman of the Bristol Town Council.

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