Public weighing in on plastic bag tax in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A public hearing is being held in Connecticut on proposed bans and taxes on plastic bags, straws and foam takeout food containers.

The hearing began Monday morning at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

One bill would bar stores from providing or selling single-use plastic bags after 2020. Another would require stores to charge at least 5 cents per bag.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has called for a 10-cent per bag tax.

Cromwell resident Herbert Mitchell tells WFSB-TV the ocean is filled with garbage, and the only way to get rid of it is to tax it.

Bill Perry, also of Cromwell, says he often uses his own bags to shop, but he thinks the plastic bag tax is “over-reaching.”