Mid-Hudson News Network is reporting Ulster County lawmakers are thinking about banning plastic bags in retail establishments. The bags are used in all kinds of businesses and are considered by some to be a "scourge on the environment" because they are not biodegradable, said Richard Parete, chairman of the Ulster County Legislature Energy and Environment Committee. He said, "The goal is get people to use reusable bags, to bring the same bags in every time they shop." Discussion of the possible ban is in the early stages. The village of New Paltz banned plastic retail bags in April 2015. Similar bans have also been discussed by the city of Kingston and Dutchess County. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.