{"id":610,"date":"2019-02-26T17:10:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T17:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/02\/26\/2019226hamden-residents-welcome-plastic-bag-ban\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:36:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:36:09","slug":"2019226hamden-residents-welcome-plastic-bag-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/02\/26\/2019226hamden-residents-welcome-plastic-bag-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamden residents welcome plastic bag ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michaela Mendygral<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Photo via Michaela Mendygral<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Shoppers leaving ShopRite on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden on one recent Saturday afternoon generally supported Hamden\u2019s new single-use plastic bag ban, saying the reduction in litter and damage to the environment outweighed any inconvenience or expense the new law may impose.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Plastic bags) blow all over the place, people throw them around and it is a litter nuisance for sure,\u201d Hamden resident, Jerry Gogliotto said. <\/p>\n

In a meeting Tuesday evening, Feb. 19, Hamden\u2019s town legislative council passed an ordinance with two abstentions, introduced in January and to be in effect come fall, banning single use plastic bags at checkout. <\/p>\n

The new ordinance \u201cwill allow paper checkout bags, but only those that are 100 percent recyclable and are made from at least 40 percent recycled material,\u201d according to the New Haven Independent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jerry Gigliotto and his wife Barbaraare just two of several shoppers to leave ShopRite with recyclable bags in hand. <\/p>\n

The Gigliottos said that reusable bags have been easily acquired over the years. They are usually a dollar to purchase, but many are often given out for free. <\/p>\n

The Gigliottos found out about the plastic bag ban from the news. However, not everyone using recyclable bags is even aware of the ordinance passed by Hamden.<\/p>\n

New Haven resident Lydia Santiago uses recycled bags because it makes sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep them in the car in a bag and I take the whole thing into the store,\u201d Santiago said. <\/p>\n

Santiago was unaware of the new ordinance Hamden recently passed, but welcomes it openly.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The plastic bag ban] is so cool,\u201d Santiago said. \u201cI went to Washington [D.C] a few years ago and they have no plastic bags. In Washington D.C. they would ask you if you would want a plastic bag and you would have to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several shoppers expressed concern over the lightweight plastic bags.<\/p>\n

North Haven resident Ellen Perrotti saidd, \u201cI don\u2019t want plastic bags anymore, I never did want them. I was mad when they took paper away and they don\u2019t offer it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

One Quinnipiac student agrees. \u201cPaper bags are more recyclable and wouldn\u2019t be as much of a harm if it gets into the ocean,\u201d said Destiny De Jesus, 21..<\/p>\n

However, the change expected to take place come fall may be an adjustment period for some. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019ll be a little inconvenient for people that aren\u2019t prepared for it, but I do think it\u2019s a good thing in the long run,\u201d Barbara Gigliotto said.<\/p>\n

The ban came as a surprise for 68-year-old Hamden resident, Jack Allen. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo tell you the truth I use plastic bags for everything,\u201d said Allen. For him, reusing plastic bags within the home has become routine and the plastic bag ban means purchasing more reusable bags. <\/p>\n

Mayor Curt Leng asked Hamden residents their thoughts on the ban back in January, posting on Facebook a call for opinions on both a plastic bag and straw ban.<\/p>\n