Letter: Recycling's not as good as reducing
A woman carries her purchases in plastic bags on May 24, 2012. Westchester County is leading the state in communities opting to ban plastic bags at the checkout counter. Credit: AP
The letter writer who feels that recycling plastic bags is better than having stores charge customers 5 cents per bag is missing the point ["Recycle or replace plastic grocery bags," June 10]. Recycling any resource costs time, energy and money. That's why "reduce" is the first option -- then reuse and finally recycle.
Cashiers at my store are easily able to give a 5-cent credit for every reusable bag I bring. If I forget my bags, or need more, the 5 cents could easily be added to my bill. Remember when naysayers claimed that adding 5-cent deposits to water bottles wouldn't work? It's now a proven success at reducing waste.
Keep a few reusable bags in your car. It quickly becomes a habit, and you'll be part of the solution.
Loraine Falacara, East Northport
