On June 20, the Massachusetts Senate passed a comprehensive bill restricting the use of plastics, including banning state government agencies from purchasing single-use plastic bottles.
The bill also prohibits Massachusetts retailers from using single-use plastic bags, requiring stores to charge 10 cents for recycled paper bags.
Additionally, the legislation bans businesses from providing plastic straws and other plastic products unless requested by customers. It also outlines a plan for recycling large items such as car seats.
The bill is now being reviewed by the House of Representatives.
With more states increasingly turning their attention to the harm plastics cause to wildlife, as well as issues like water pollution and landfill congestion, states are enacting laws to limit plastic usage. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks filled with plastic are dumped into oceans, rivers, and lakes worldwide each day. People are increasingly breathing, consuming, and drinking microscopic plastic particles.
Michael Rodrigues, Chairman of the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee, stated, “This important legislation is another step towards eliminating plastic, the biggest source of environmental pollution in daily life.”
If implemented, this bill will make Massachusetts the 13th state in the U.S. to pass a ban on plastic bags. Currently, many municipalities in Massachusetts have already implemented such bans. These municipalities account for 70% of the state’s population.
Furthermore, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed an executive order last year prohibiting state government agencies from purchasing single-use plastic bottles. She noted that the order made Massachusetts the first state to implement such a ban.
However, there are opponents, such as the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, who argue that a comprehensive plastic ban is part of a larger trend restricting consumer choice.