To the Editor:

On November 4, Mercer County voters will find a third public question — titled “County Question” — on their ballots that asks whether they support a 5-cent fee for each single-use plastic bag provided when shopping in any grocery, drug, or convenience store in the county.

This referendum was placed on the ballot through a joint resolution by my administration and the Board of Chosen Freeholders. It is nonbinding and merely aims to gauge how Mercer County voters feel about this issue. Any actual fee would have to come in the form of state legislation. The specifics of the bag fee, including what the proceeds would be used for, will be addressed only if voters give the thumbs-up to proceed.

As your County Executive, I urge you to cast a “yes” vote.

Plastic grocery and shopping bags may offer short-term convenience, but they have long-term costs. Not only do single-use bags require resources such as petroleum and natural gas to manufacture, their disposal presents a number of problems as well. Plastic bags are extremely lightweight and can act like balloons blowing out of garbage trucks and landfills. They litter our parks and trees, enter storm drains and can eventually end up in our streams, rivers and oceans, where they break into small, toxic pieces, killing marine life and birds.

In addition, plastic bags create major problems at recycling facilities. They jam and shut down machinery. Plastic bags that get mixed with other recyclables also contaminate the end materials, lowering their quality and value.

Some opponents of this measure say it’s a tax. But this is not a tax – it’s a fee that consumers wouldn’t have to pay if they brought their own reusable bag. Industry groups have complained that a plastic bag fee could inconvenience and raise costs for businesses, and that recycling programs provide a suitable alternative. But far too few of these bags get recycled. We still have far too many plastic bags in our waste stream, too much plastic bag litter, and too much of a dependence on fossil fuels.

While the county lacks legislative authority to create a plastic bag fee, by passing this referendum we can send a strong message to our governor and our state legislators that this is something they too should support. Should this referendum pass, taking our case to the Legislature would be the next step.

Other governments already have taken action. On Sept. 30, California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags. And there have been many other similar efforts across the country, including San Francisco, which banned plastic bags in 2007, and Washington, D.C., which began imposing a 5-cent fee on single-use bags in 2010.

Our over-reliance on single-use plastic bags is doing an incalculable amount of damage to our environment. Reduce the number of these bags in circulation and everyone benefits. I’d like to know whether you agree. Let your voice be heard on November 4.

Brian M. Hughes

Mercer County Executive