While San Diego lawmakers are deciding what to do about a plastic bag ban, local environmental groups are pushing for quick action. During a recent legislative session, representatives from San Diego Coastkeeper pointed to a study that shows chemicals are transferred to fish from plastic bags and later consumed by humans. Environmental groups are hoping San Diego won’t wait for the state to act and enforce its own plastic bag ban.
Research showed that San Diego could reduce the amount of bags wasted every year by 75 percent if residents turned to reusable
wholesale shopping bags following a plastic bag ban. In real numbers, that means the area would be spared 350 million plastic bags if the ordinance drafted for San Diego was passed into law by the city council. San Diego’s mayor is waiting for action from the state legislature before moving forward.
A statewide ban on plastic bags in California is looking more likely, though progress will not be seen until September at the earliest. Dozens of cities in California, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, have replaced plastic bags with reusable wholesale shopping bags following successful local bans. Under these laws, shoppers bring their own reusable bags to the store and save on wasted single-use bags. Anyone who needs a bag can buy a paper bag for 10 cents.
Communities from North Carolina to Northern California have shown that the bans really work. Instead of constantly cleaning up bag pollution from the coastline, beach towns enjoy their seashores the way they should. Just as important, bans help cut down on the amount of chemicals that are making their way into fishes, which we later consume.
The solution is not all that complicated. By replacing plastic bags with reusable wholesale shopping bags, the problem starts to disappear. It is a simple way to stop an increasingly dangerous problem.
For more information about Holden eco-friendly reusable shopping Bags or for a quote please visit
www.HoldenBags.com or contact us at
800.255.0885.
