According to the Sierra Club, Massachusetts residents consume at least an estimated 2 billion single-use plastic bags per year, equaling approximately one bag per person per day. While the pervasive bags may be convenient for shoppers, they come with significant environmental costs. Environment Massachusetts reports that plastic bags have an average usage period of only 12 minutes of their entire 1,000-year lifespan. If, after disposal, they end up in the ocean, plastic bags are commonly mistaken for food by marine wildlife, in particular by sea turtles attempting to feed on jellyfish. According to that research and policy organization, 85% of sea turtles will at some point be injured or killed by plastics.
But it is not just sea creatures at risk from plastic. A new study released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) suggests that humans are now ingesting an average of five grams of plastic per week, the equivalent of a credit card. These plastic particles are called “microplastics” and are derived from sources such as microbeads in facewash, synthetic fibers, or plastics that have been broken down by the elements. The report states that the long-term health effects of ingesting plastic are not yet well documented, but negative health outcomes have been linked to certain plastic chemicals and additives.
Once these microplastics enter the environment, it is very difficult to remove them, so reducing plastic production at the source is critical. More than 122 Massachusetts municipalities have made this a priority by instituting plastic bag bans, including Acton, Concord, and Lexington. Towns that have banned the bag have reported success in their local efforts. Bridgewater, for instance, which passed its ordinance in 2016, has seen a notable reduction in plastic bag waste. “I notice less plastic bags flying around Bridgewater,” Town Council President Dennis Gallagher told The Brockton Enterprise. “[The ordinance] has brought awareness about plastic to everybody.”
State regs flounder
Local mandates have provided an interim solution to plastic pollution while statewide regulations flounder, but fragmented policy presents a challenge for both retailers trying to comply and environmentalists who prefer stronger guidelines. The original bill proposed by Eldridge in January was lauded by the environmental group Surfrider Foundation in the Boston Globe as “one of the strongest plastic bag regulations anywhere.” The revised version, however, was condemned as “a slap in the face.”
The original bill would have instituted a 5- or 10-cent fee on paper bags used to replace plastic ones, incentivizing shoppers to bring reusable bags; the redraft eliminated this measure. The revised bill also redefined single-use bags as those without handles and less than four millimeters thick. This opens the door for retailers to legally provide thicker plastic bags, which, as MassPIRG noted in a July statement, does not help reduce plastic bag consumption. In addition, if the revised version is passed, it would effectively undo tougher local measures already in existence. Sen. Eldridge, who sits on the environment, natural resources, and agriculture committee, voted against the revisions and will continue advocating for a bill more closely resembling the original legislation. The bill is now set to go before the House Ways and Means Committee.
Rep. Jen Benson’s Communications Director Sean Rourke relayed the following statement from Benson: “Single-use plastic bags are a huge contributor to plastic pollution in the United States, and for years, I have supported banning the use of these bags. This session, I’m a co-sponsor of several bills that would ban or curtail single-use plastic bags, and I prefer an approach that would allow cities and towns that have instituted their own policies to be able to keep those in place.”
Concerned residents should contact Benson’s office at (617) 722-2430, and, of course, remember their reusable bags. Tim Kilhart, director of Harvard’s Department of Public Works, reminds residents not to recycle plastic bags, as they clog the machinery. Recycling sites for plastic bags can be located at www.plasticfilmrecycling.org.
