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Getting Rid Of Plastic Here And Abroad
Efforts in the fight against plastic pollution are really stepping up these days.
New York State lawmakers have agreed to impose a statewide ban on most
types of single-use plastic bags from retail sales. The ban would be the second statewide ban
after California, which banned the bags in 2016. Hawaii effectively also has such a ban since
all of the state’s counties have their own bans.
The New York ban would begin next March and would forbid stores from
providing customers with single-use plastic bags. There are a number of exceptions, including
food takeout bags in restaurants, bags used to wrap deli or meat counter
products, and newspaper bags. New York
counties could opt into a plan to charge a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with
proceeds going to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. Some environmentalists point out, however,
that paper bags have their own issues. While
they do decompose in landfills, they have a substantial carbon footprint since
they are made from wood and being heavier, they are more costly to ship. Business groups are concerned about the
forthcoming ban based on increased costs.
Meanwhile, European Union member states have reached a provisional
agreement to introduce restrictions on single-use plastic products. In 2021. European citizens will say goodbye
to plastic cutlery, plastic plates and plastic straws among other products.
According to the European Commission, plastics make up 85% of beach
litter in the Mediterranean. Large
plastic pieces injure, suffocate, and often kill marine animals but
microplastics have reached record levels of concentration – over a million
fragments per square kilometer – in the Mediterranean.
Both here and abroad, the war on plastics is heating up.
**********
Web Links
Plastic Bags to Be Banned in New York; Second Statewide Ban, After California
The End Of Plastic Cutlery, Plates And Straws: EU Market Says Goodbye To Single-Use Plastic Products
Photo, posted March 20, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
View all episodes
By Randy Simon
4.7
1515 ratings
Efforts in the fight against plastic pollution are really stepping up these days.
New York State lawmakers have agreed to impose a statewide ban on most
types of single-use plastic bags from retail sales. The ban would be the second statewide ban
after California, which banned the bags in 2016. Hawaii effectively also has such a ban since
all of the state’s counties have their own bans.
The New York ban would begin next March and would forbid stores from
providing customers with single-use plastic bags. There are a number of exceptions, including
food takeout bags in restaurants, bags used to wrap deli or meat counter
products, and newspaper bags. New York
counties could opt into a plan to charge a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with
proceeds going to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. Some environmentalists point out, however,
that paper bags have their own issues. While
they do decompose in landfills, they have a substantial carbon footprint since
they are made from wood and being heavier, they are more costly to ship. Business groups are concerned about the
forthcoming ban based on increased costs.
Meanwhile, European Union member states have reached a provisional
agreement to introduce restrictions on single-use plastic products. In 2021. European citizens will say goodbye
to plastic cutlery, plastic plates and plastic straws among other products.
According to the European Commission, plastics make up 85% of beach
litter in the Mediterranean. Large
plastic pieces injure, suffocate, and often kill marine animals but
microplastics have reached record levels of concentration – over a million
fragments per square kilometer – in the Mediterranean.
Both here and abroad, the war on plastics is heating up.
**********
Web Links
Plastic Bags to Be Banned in New York; Second Statewide Ban, After California
The End Of Plastic Cutlery, Plates And Straws: EU Market Says Goodbye To Single-Use Plastic Products
Photo, posted March 20, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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