As many of us know, our everyday use of
plastics is damaging our environment at an alarming rate. Plastic waste
contributes significantly to pollution in Massachusetts. The more
plastic we use, the more we continue to pollute our land and oceans.
Scientific research has estimated that in the ocean, plastic bags can
take 20 years to decompose, while plastic bottles can take up to
approximately 450 years. Here in New England, the effect is visible as
tons of plastic is washed up on our shorelines every year. Not only does
it pollute our water and land, but the air we breathe as well. Our
wildlife has also suffered drastically; an estimated 100,000 marine
animals die from plastic entanglement per year. We must begin the
process of adopting new practices now. And yet, there is some evidence
that fossil fuel companies — realizing that there will be a slow but
steady shift away from oil and gas in coming years — view the
manufacturing of plastics derived from oil as a central part of their
future business plans.
With this in mind, I have made the issue of finding ways to reduce the
use of plastic (and Styrofoam) one of my critical areas of focus this
legislative session. Working with the Conservation Law Foundation, and
other advocacy groups, I have introduced several pieces of legislation
that are designed to minimize or eliminate these harmful products from
use. Set forth below is a discussion of just some of those bills.
Modeled on a California law, I filed An Act Restricting Distribution of Single-Use Plastic Straws.
This bill would prevent restaurants and other food establishments from
providing straws to customers, unless requested. Workers in California
reported that although it takes some time to adjust, serving non-plastic
straws or forgoing them all together has now become second nature.
However, the bill still does allow for straws to be provided by request,
for small children and those with disabilities. From my own
experience, I am continually surprised at how many establishments
automatically provide a plastic straw when customers order a drink. And
then I am equally surprised at how often the customer merely takes the
plastic straw out of the drink and drops it on the table. It is
incredibly wasteful, costs these restaurants and other businesses an
unnecessary expense and is terrible for our environment.
In addition to the bill pertaining to plastic straws, I also filed a
bill relating to how we recycle plastic bottles. Plastic pollution must
be addressed on many different fronts, and our ban on plastic straws
would only put a dent in the broader issue of how we combat plastic
waste. Our use of plastic bottles has caused significant harm to our
environment. More than 80% of bottle caps found along shorelines come
from consumer drinks, and the rest comes from things like detergent and
pill bottles. In fact, among the most frequently found items discovered
during beach cleanings, bottle caps are high on the list. There are two
things that must happen if we would like to see an improvement in this
area. First, we must ensure that caps stay connected to the bottle, so they cannot be disposed of separately or accidentally littered. Second,
we must ensure that the caps and the bottle are made from the same type
of plastic, so they can be recycled together. Today, even if someone
were to recycle a bottle with the cap attached, because bottle and caps
are often made from different materials, it can prevent the whole bottle
from being recycled. The bill I filed, An Act to Improve Plastic Bottles and Their Recycling,
does address both issues. It mandates that a bottle be designed in a
way that the cap stays attached, and is made from the same type of
plastic as the rest of the bottle. It has the potential to make a
significant improvement in how we recycle plastic and cut down on
plastic waste.
Outside of the environmental impact, our use of harmful materials in our
everyday lives has also created a public health issue. Specifically,
one of the most widely used plastics is polystyrene, also known as
Styrofoam. While many of us know this petroleum-based product causes
significant harm to the environment, less well known is that the toxic
chemicals released from the Styrofoam can also leach into our food.
Recently, I testified on behalf of my bill, An Act to Prohibit the Use of Polystyrene Foam Food Containers,
which was referred to the Committee on Public Health. This bill will
ban stores and food distributors from selling or packing food in
polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) in Massachusetts. There are now good,
affordable alternatives; we simply do not need to keep using Styrofoam.
I am pushing this bill hard and hope Massachusetts will join only a
couple other states (Maine & Maryland most recently) who have banned
this harmful and unnecessary product.
Enough plastic gets thrown away each year to circle the Earth four
times. This is a significant concern and has fueled the zero waste
initiatives aimed at reducing, reusing, and recycling effectively. In
Massachusetts, 9.2 million tons of waste comes from residential and
commercial properties, only 32% of that is recycled. We must enforce
current regulations that ban certain types of waste from landfills and
incinerators. This would help us reduce our disposal rate by nearly
35%! That is why I also filed An Act to Incentivize the Reduction of Residential Waste Disposal (Pay as you throw).
This bill requires municipalities to report their waste disposal
numbers per capita for all residential service every year and, if they
are disposing of more than 500 pounds per capita, they are required to
adopt a Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) compliant program to
reduce or divert waste from disposal.
In Massachusetts, it is encouraging to see that some companies are
beginning to transition to other materials. Starbucks, Hyatt, Hilton,
and Bon Appetite are among the few that have not only banned plastic
straws but have come up with several alternatives. Many companies now
sell reusable metal straws, which come in a multitude of forms such as
aluminum, titanium, or stainless steel and are considered the
eco-friendliest due to their longevity. Other companies have implemented
recyclable lids, and some have used biodegradable paper straws. The
cafeteria for State House (and other state) employees has started
putting out paper straws. In addition to my legislative initiatives, I
am hoping that market forces and consumer pressure will help keep up the
slowly growing momentum for alternatives to plastic.
I was proud to partner with the Conservation Law Foundation on these
bills that are a part of their Zero Waste Agenda. All of these bills
will go a long way to reduce the amount of waste in our world. By 2050,
it is estimated that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish
by weight. Obviously, plastics are made from fossil fuels. Then by
definition, their manufacture contributes to climate change. When
plastics break down, it forms microplastics, which have long-lasting
negative effects on living things, including plants, animals, and
humans. In our body, and the bodies of the food we eat, the chemicals in
microplastics can damage organs. Microplastics in the soil also have
effects on the plants that grow there and can make their way up the food
chain. While these are the effects we know, scientific understanding in
this area is still growing. It is clear where Massachusetts should
stand on this issue. It is essential we meet these expectations by
taking the lead on these critical environmental issues and reduce our
use of plastics.
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