In a recently letter, Red Bank resident Jim Corcoran questioned the reasons and justifications for the elimination of plastic bags. Mr. Corcoran wrote off my campaign to eliminate plastic shopping bags in Red Bank as “a waste of time by some grandstanding Red Bank politicians.”
I am saddened by the fact that Mr. Corcoran agrees with Councilman John Curley that working to eliminate a product that negatively impacts on our environment does not accomplish anything.
It is reported by many environmental experts that the production of plastic bags has a significant environmental impact each year. This includes the use of over 12 million barrels of fuel each year and the deaths of thousands of marine animals each year through ingesting and entanglement.
Each year an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide which breaks down to over 1 million bags per minute, of which, billions of bags end up as litter each year. Most bags do not biodegrade which means that bags break down into smaller and smaller toxic digs that contaminate our soil and waterways and enter into the food web when fish and other marine life accidentally ingest these materials.
There are a number of reasons to re-use a bag; namely, the petroleum used to produce 14 plastic bags could drive a car one mile; Americans use over 14 billion plastic bags annually; and cities spend up to 17 cents per bag in disposal costs.
Most European countries charge a premium to consumers who do not use their own cloth shopping bags as those governments have verified the information that I have been setting forth in the council meetings. I understand that you support Councilman Curley’s position to leave regulation to the state or federal government; however, I do not believe that Trenton has shown any leadership on these issues.
I believe that together we can make a difference in the quality of life of the residents of Red Bank, friends, family and neighbors by setting an example locally for the state and federal government. Taking environmental and green steps here in Red Bank will not only cut waste and protect our water and sewers, but also serve to send a message to our legislators that our environment must be a priority.
I have also asked the borough administrator to look into installing solar panels on the top of Borough Hall which will be a revenue generator for Red Bank that may assist us in tax reductions. This is not political grandstanding but attempting to protect the natural resources here in Red Bank.
I do agree with Mr. Corcoran that Red Bank needs to strictly enforce the dog waste laws and this issue is indeed included in the revamping of Red Bank’s overall environmental plan. Red Bank has a number of natural resources, two of which are our parks and the Navesink River. We can ill afford not to take all necessary steps to protect these natural resources for ourselves, our children and grandchildren. I would ask your readers to log onto www.1bagatatime.com to investigate further.
I would also encourage anyone who is interested in helping to implement these environmentally friendly steps as well as other environmental steps, to contact me as I would like to sit down and formulate a plan to protect the natural resources and environment of Red Bank.
Michael R. DuPont Red Bank Councilman