PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COPY THE PAGE BELOW. REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS-LEGISLATORS REALLY WANT TO HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM! To find your legislator use this link
Dear __________,
I urge you to support a ban on Plastic Carryout Bags, as proposed in (insert your preferred bag ban bill here).
These important bills would ban the distribution of plastic carryout bags in stores.
Single-use plastic bags represent one of the greatest environmental catastrophes of our generation. It is estimated that 60-80% of all debris in the ocean is land-based plastic. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down at sea and most types never truly biodegrade.
Plastic bags are so aerodynamic that even when properly disposed of, they can still blow away and become litter. They easily escape from garbage trucks, landfills, boats, and often average consumers’ hands. Not only a visible eyesore, plastic bags are dangerous to wildlife. They are often mistaken for food by marine mammals and seabirds. The United Nations estimates that plastic bags kill 1 billion animals per year. These animals suffer a painful death as the plastic wraps around their intestines or they choke to death.
Laws of this type have been enacted around the world and on every continent, including Nantucket (over 20 years ago, the first in the United States), Brookline MA, Newton MA (on January 20, 2015), Manchester MA, as well as San Francisco, Westport, Connecticut, Edmonds, Washington, Los Angeles County, CA, Brownsville, Texas; Bethel, Alaska, North Carolina’s Outerbanks Region, Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington, San Jose, California, 30 rural villages in Alaska, and many cities throughout Canada. Countries that have banned or restricted them include: China, Israel, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Thailand, several states in India, three states and territories of Australia, Paris, Mexico City, Rajasthan (India), Sikkim (India), Taiwan, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malawi, Germany, Sweden, Paris, Mexico City, and three states/territories of Australia.
I respectfully request that you do all you can to help move this bill to a vote before the legislature.
Don’t forget your name, address and email!
