Rhode Island Leans Toward Plastic Bag Ban

Of all the states hurt by plastic bag pollution in local seas, Rhode Island may feel the most pain. For this reason, state officials are sponsoring a bill that would ban plastic bags at checkout counters throughout the Ocean State. While there are communities in Rhode Island that have already banned plastic bags, this legislation would make them disappear from all checkout counters in the state. In an area that is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and has 30 islands off its coast and the Narragansett Bay inland, the impact of a plastic bag ban would be instant. At a hearing for the legislation, advocates of the bill joined community supporters and students who likened plastic bag bans to restrictions on smoking indoors. Decades from now, it will seem preposterous that people wasted plastic bags for short trips between the store and the car. As bans across the United States have proved, people grow accustomed to reusable grocery bags in short order. Store owners who order wholesale grocery bags with their company logo provide customers with a way to begin. Once shoppers experience the convenience and green factor their reusable bags deliver, you’ll see them every day in the community. Rhode Island oyster farmers, fishermen and seaside resort owners have remarked on how the ban would have positive effects on their businesses. They depend on the ocean, and a cleaner ocean would be one reward from the plastic bag ban. In fact, everyone wins when plastic bags are banned – except the companies that make the bags. The case against plastic bag bans always has dubious statistics attached, but the reality is plain to see. On the streets of any city and the beaches of any coast, you will find the ugly sight of plastic bags blowing past you every day. Removing them from retail stores would be a huge step toward ending this pollution. Rhode Island has the chance to become the first state to officially ban plastic bags in every county. The Ocean State would be a pioneer in the environmental cause by taking action to save its precious waters. Since all it takes is ordering wholesale grocery bags shoppers can reuse, there’s no reason it shouldn’t happen. For more information or for a quote please visit www.holdenbags.com or contact us at 800.255.0885800.255.0885.