Survey shows readers split on Warwick plastic bag fee

BY ERIKA NORTON
WARWICK - Readers are split nearly right down the middle on the proposed plastic bag fee, according to a recent online survey of Advertiser News readers and others.
The Town of Warwick is considering a new local law, which if approved, would impose a five cent fee on consumers for each carryout bag provided by any business in the town, including the ShopRite and Price Chopper. Exemptions to the proposed law include those using WIC and SNAP programs and home delivery services.
The town’s goal is to promote the use of reusable bags and discourage the use of carryout plastic and paper bags. According to the town’s calculations, Warwick residents use 11 million plastic and paper bags a year.
The resultsAlong with Advertiser News readers, readers of other Straus Newspapers, the parent company of The Advertiser News, also took the survey. These papers cover other parts of Sussex County, West Milford in Passaic County, and parts of Orange County, N.Y.
Out of the total 201 people who took the survey, 48 percent said they were in favor while 52 percent said they were opposed. When looking at just the Sussex and Passaic County survey-takers, the results are even closer, with 50 percent in favor and 50 percent opposed.
When looking at just the results from survey-takers with a Warwick zip code, these results were almost identical to the overall results. Out of the 137 online survey-takers with a Warwick zip code, 49 percent of responders said they are in favor of the fee, while 51 percent of responders said they are opposed.
Residents from other parts of Warwick, including Pine Island, Florida, Greenwood Lake and Sterling Forest, also participated in the survey. Out of the 17 survey-takers from these areas, nine were in favor of the fee, while eight were opposed.
There were also two survey takers in the state of Florida, possibly snowbirds or vacationers, who both said they oppose the fee.
Also interestingly, 68 percent of those who took the survey were were female, while 29 percent were male and 3 percent responded “other.”
The Town of Warwick has held been holding public hearings about the plastic bag fee over the last few weeks to receive feedback from residents.
The public hearing will continue on March 22 at 7:15 p.m. at the town hall on Kings Highway.
New York State issueThe issue of plastic bags and their impact on the environment has also become a statewide focus for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos issued a comprehensive report last month outlining eight potential solutions to address the disposal of plastic bag waste in the state.
The report was sent to New York State Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for consideration.