Hi everyone and welcome to my blog on plastic pollution! As I hope all of you know, plastic pollution has become a world epidemic with the increasing dangers of plastic becoming apparent. Many may wonder what the everyday person can do, some may also wonder what new laws or research are coming into play to help with this issue. Through this blog, I hope to inform you on all of these aspects of plastic pollution. I will delve into small local successes and national or worldwide information.
To start, let’s just take a look at some local news, starting with southern Maine. All of use or have used harmful plastic materials, this especially applies to plastic bags and plastic straws. Think about the last time you went out to eat. You most likely used a plastic straw. What about the last time you went grocery shopping or shopping for clothing? Odds are you used a plastic bag at at lease one of those stores. If you haven’t, and you’re already using reusable bags, then you are slightly ahead of the game. Plastic straws and bags have become an increasing problem for oceanic creatures, as many will eat or get trapped in these objects. Individual towns have been taking small steps to decrease the usage of these objects. For instance, Saco and Biddeford have already banned plastic bags. Councilor Alan Minthorn recently explained that single use plastic bags are not biodegradable and cause extensive damage to wildlife if eaten. Saco and Biddeford are two of the most recent towns to announce a ban on these single use plastic bags. If you are interested in learning about Saco’s ban on plastic bags beginning in April 2017, read this link by Gillian Graham at the Portland Press Herald for more information. The first town in Maine to ban these bags was York, followed by Freeport and Kennebunk. Cities in Maine, such as Portland, have also begun to find alternatives for plastic straws. Many restaurants in Maine have begun to either not carry plastic straws, or only give them upon request. Want to learn more about this and see a list of restaurants currently joining the “last straw” movement? Check out this article Meredith Goad. Stick around for next week’s post where we delve into the specific dangers of plastic non- biodegradable materials.
As we continue on, we will look more into local and nationwide research and news. I will also be posting tips and challenges to decrease our plastic usage.
