We, the undersigned residents of Albany County, applaud the state's banning of single use plastic bags from our stores. Still, in order to better protect our environment we must encourage the use of re-usable shopping bags, rather than single-use paper bags. Paper bags use large amounts of water to be produced, take up significant space in landfills, and contribute to deforestation. We call on the Albany County Legislature to enact a fee on paper bags and promote the importance of reusables throughout our county.