Citizens Campaign for the Environment

CAMPAIGNS

Plastic Bag Reduction

Landmark Plastic Bag Victory: Town of Westport, CT bans plastic checkout bags in favor of reusable bags

Plastic Bags: Environmentally Harmful and Completely Unnecessary

Click here for CCE’s “Bring Your Own Bag” Brochure

According to the EPA, between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Americans alone throw away over 100 billion bags.

Every hour, approximately 200,000 plastic bags are land filled and may take 1,000 years to break down. For the plastic bags that become litter, rain washes litter into bodies of water and plastic pollution travel through our waterways eventually reaching the ocean. 46,000 pieces of plastic many of them bags), are swirling on average in each square mile of our oceans.

The impacts of plastic bag pollution have ignited a global movement to dramatically reduce the amount of disposable plastic shopping bags. Promoting reusable bags and plastic bag recycling are just one of the many ways to protect our waterways and wildlife. CCE works with the public, local, and state governments to reduce the plastic bag pollution.

Victory! Town of Westport, CT bans plastic checkout bags in favor of reusable bags.

On Tuesday, September 2, 2008, at the stroke of midnight, the Westport Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved a resolution, in a 26 to 5 vote (with 1 abstention), giving retailers six months to stop using disposable plastic bags at the checkout. This resolution is the first of its kind east of the Mississippi. In the West, the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as Maui, Hawaii, have approved legislation banning non-biodegradable plastic bags, while Seattle approved a 20-cent fee on all disposable bags.

CCE worked in support of the ban alongside the ordinance sponsors from District 4: Jonathan Cunitz, Gene Seidman, Elizabeth Milwe, Jeffrey Wieser, and the Connecticut Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Click here to see this landmark public hearing and vote. A big thank you to all the Westport residents and shoppers who helped with this campaign by making phone calls and attending the public hearing.

Plastic Bags Endanger Wildlife and our Waterways

Image of a map featuring the swirling vortex in the ocean.

The mass consumption of plastic products has created a plastic wasteland in our Ocean. Great ocean currents combined with large amount of non-biodegradable waste have resulted in two swirling vortexes—twice the size of Texas—full of plastic trash. These vortexes did not exist 50 years ago.

The proliferation of plastic waste endangers fish and wildlife. A 2005 study found that almost 200 species of marine life are adversely affected by plastic bag pollution. Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals, and turtles are killed annually from plastic bags. Fish and wildlife mortalities are caused by:

Strangulation
Restricting mobility
Disrupting digestion

Marine animals often mistake plastic bags for food, such as jellyfish. Once eaten, the bags cannot be processed and block the digestive system, making it very difficult for animals to get proper nutrition, and can lead to a slow and painful death from starvation or dehydration. To make matters worse, when the creature dies and decomposes, the plastic bags will be re-released into the environment.

Image of a turtle with plastic coming out of its mouth.

How You Can Help:
Reduce plastic bag pollution by remembering the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reduce – Go bagless! Only use plastic bags when absolutely necessary.
Reuse – Bring your own bag! Reusable bags are more durable and readily available to fit any style and need.
Recycle – Return plastic bags to the store! Grocery stores often collect clean plastic bags at the front of the store.

Currently only 0.6 - 2.0% of bags are recycled. Do your part to reduce plastic bag pollution!

Attention: Connecticut Residents
The Reusable Bag Promotion Act (HB5215) is being considered by the legislature during the 2009 legislative session. The bill will provide incentives for using reusable bags and increase funding to recycling programs. Specifically, the legislation places a 5-cent fee on each plastic and paper bag used at the check out for most retail stores throughout Connecticut. This will dramatically cut down on the amount of plastic bags used and will effectively help change public behavior. This legislation will provide a needed incentive for the public to make the switch from disposable bags to reusable bags. Using reusable bags will conserve resources, protect wildlife, and reduce litter.

How you can help:

Write a letter to the Governor, your State Senator and Representative, telling them to institute incentives to encourage reusable shopping bag use and improve recycling in Connecticut.

Letter writing tips:

Tell your elected officials and Governor Rell that you support the Reusable Bag Promotion Act (HB5215) that:

Helps municipal recycling programs upgrade to modern systems and increase recycling rates.
Funds recycling improvements by adopting a five-cent fee to encourage reusable shopping bags at the checkout.

Ask your state leaders to respond in writing, informing you how they will address your concerns.

Governor M. Jodi Rell

Find your legislators by town or ZIP code: www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CGAFindLeg.asp

Please send a copy of any response you receive to CCE’s New Haven office - it helps us track progress on the issue. Thanks!

Many countries, states, and counties have already adopted legislation to reduce plastic bag pollution. California is the first state to mandate plastic bag recycling centers in large supermarkets and drug stores. Click here for a summary of the laws so far, and check back for updates as many new laws around the world are currently under consideration.

CCE supports efforts to increase public education efforts to change consumer practices, phasing out plastic bag use, providing in-store recycling of plastic bags, promoting reusable bags by prominently displaying reminders in stores. You can help by contacting your elected officials and tell them you support plastic bag reduction programs.

Plastic Bag Reduction is a Global Movement!
Send your plastic bag ban, fee, and recycling news to show email address.

View a slideshow on plastic bags from the Pocono Record:	Watch Synthetic Sea: Plastic in the Open Ocean (7:08 min), by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, 2001:

For more information, visit:

http://www.plasticdebris.org/CA_Action_Plan_2006.pdf
http://www.messageinthewaves.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXVw19bP0tw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJvifVrGi8o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9N9uCI2dgs&feature=related

Let’s work together to avoid impacts to our wildlife

Updated by epepper 4/27/09