Featured Letter: Reusable bags should be free

To the editor:

The plastic ban proposal should not happen. What it all comes down to is basic socio-economic status. How can individual towns force citizens to buy bags? Yes, I agree they are bad for the environment and something should be done about them, but there are many other options available for us too look at. Why can’t stores like Stop & Shop give the reusable bags out for free? If someone spends $100 at Stop & Shop, they should get one bag for free; stores like Stop & Shop can afford giving one bag out for free if someone spends that kind of money.

Multiply this by 10 weeks and that one person will have at least 10 reusable bags they will use over the plastic bags. Forcing people to buy bags will only hurt business and I will never stop at a store that will force customers to buy bags when they spend thousands there a month.

Tom Nicholas, Riverhead