Written by Ndengo Mwilelo
October 3, 2019
NEW BRITAIN -While some Connecticut residents said they are not bothered with the single-use plastic bag fee, Adaireliz Nieves said it doesn’t make any sense.
On August 1, 2019, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services issued a single plastic bag fee at all retail stores in the state.
According to the Department of Revenue Services, retail stores making sales in Connecticut of tangible personal property to the public required to collect a $0.10 fee per plastic bag.
In some cities of Connecticut, this law has been approved and in others, the approval is pending. New Britain, Middletown, and Stamford are among some of the cities that approved the single plastic bag fee.
Since this law was passed, Connecticut residents are required to take their reusable bags when they go out shopping if they don’t want to be charged a fee.
Jeanne Zulick, a Connecticut resident and the writer of “Ruby in the Sky,” said It will take people a while to remember to carry their reusable bags, and yet it will become a second nature for people to remember, she said.
“I lived in Eastern Europe, where they never had… Everybody always brought their bags,” Zulick said. “Why don’t we do this, it’s just such a waste to create all these garbage for no reason when the rest of the world that I’ve been to, were already way ahead of us as far as recycling and not being so wasteful.”
It was only about 40 years ago that plastic bags became standard at U.S. grocery stores, according to the National Public Radio. The transition to eliminating the usage of plastic bags create tension between different users.
Adaireliz Nieves, a mechanical engineer student at Central Connecticut State University, said the state charging for plastic bags to save the environment does not make sense.
“I thought it was stupid because I feel like it’s not really about the environment. I feel like it’s more about money,” Nieves said. “If you look at Connecticut they have so many laws on businesses and stuff. It’s almost impossible to make a business here and there are fees for everything. If state charges for a little thing like that then, them saying that they want to help the environment doesn’t make sense. It makes more sense that they want more money.’
Dr. Clayton Penniman, a marine biologist professor from CCSU, said it is a good idea for Connecticut to ban plastic bags because they disrupt the marine organisms.
“It is a good idea to remove as much plastic as we can or plastic waste from the environment. The plastic bag ban is one of them,” said Penniman. There is very good evidence that plastic bags when they get in the water they have an impact on sea turtles, sea birds… so, removing them from sort of the waste stream is a good idea.”
Alicia Bray, an entomologist professor from CCSU, said Connecticut banning single-use plastic bags is a small step, people will need to do more.
“This is a small victory for the environment. We need to do a lot more,’ Bray said. “There are other countries that have banned single-use plastics entirely. Like Tanzania. Tanzania has banned single-use plastic entirely. If you even bring it into that country, you will get fined.”
Ms.Ndengo Mwilelo 