Plastic bag tax just a start

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With 2016 poised to be the hottest year on record, reducing the number of plastic bags the city sends to landfills might seem like a piddling attempt at conservation. Still, little steps can have a big impact.

According to Department of Sanitation (DSNY) stats, New Yorkers throw away more than 9 billion carryout bags a year, with much of the material going un-recycled. Bags that end up in landfills will take centuries to decompose, with many others simply left to sully our streets.

The economic costs of plastic bags are steep, too. The city spends some $12.5 million a year to haul the items to landfills, according to the DSNY.

Moving to encourage New Yorkers to use recyclable bags while out shopping is thus a welcome step from the City Council. Every time a cashier asks us if we want to use plastic or paper bags at 5 cents per unit, we’ll have an opportunity to reflect on the costs of a consumption-based lifestyle.

Some other small changes might help the environment, too.

Recent years have seen the Association of Riverdale Cooperatives and Condominiums work to transition from oil to natural-gas based heating. The shift has required a planning and engineering feat, but the neighborhood’s skies are poised to become cleaner as a result.

Bronx Climate Justice North is almost ceaselessly exploring ways to help the environment on a personal and citywide level. Members recently descended on Albany to urge lawmakers to keep fossil fuels in the ground. But you don’t have to devote a weekend to conservation to make a difference; just attending one of the group’s local meetings can be enlightening.

Many organizations throughout the Bronx have a conversation purpose or bent. The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park regularly work to keep the local treasure clean. The Friends of the Hudson River Greenway are striving to open a neglected shore to the public. The Bronx River Alliance has spent years shedding light on the need to revive the long polluted body of water. 

Stats like last month’s temperatures — which were 1.11 degrees Celsius warmer around the world than the average for 1951 to 1980 — can make conservation seem like a daunting goal. Thankfully, local activists and groups are giving us cause for hope every day.

plastic bag fee, conservation, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx Climate Justice North, Hudson River Greenway, Bronx River Alliance

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