PennEnvironment Statement on Philly Plastic Bag Ban Bill Introduction

PennEnvironment

PennEnvironment Statement on Philly Plastic Bag Ban Bill Introduction:

“Today, Philadelphia City Councilman Mark Squilla introduced his expanded and enhanced legislation to ban plastic bags citywide from grocery stores, pharmacies, and corner stores. Councilman Squilla worked closely with PennEnvironment and other stakeholders to make changes to improve this legislation from previous versions that have been introduced in City Council.

PennEnvironment’s Executive Director David Masur released the following statement in support of this legislation:

“PennEnvironment applauds Councilman Mark Squilla in his efforts to rein in one of the worst culprits of single-use plastics in our society: single-use plastic grocery bags.

There isn’t a single Philadelphian who hasn’t experienced the plague of pervasive plastic bags littering their neighborhood or city block, or gone to visit a local park or green space and experienced firsthand how these items scar the outdoor places we love.

Plastic bags are the poster child for the environmental harm caused by single-use plastics. Nothing we use for a few minutes like these plastic bags should be allowed to litter our communities, pollute our environment, and fill our landfills and incinerators for hundreds of years to come.

Each year, Americans use nearly 1 billion plastic grocery bags, yet only 1 percent of them are estimated to be recycled. The rest end up in our landfills, incinerators, and contaminating our environment. It’s time to ban the bag and do our part to leave a healthier planet for our kids and future generations.

Hundreds of cities and towns across the nation have already taken this important step to ban plastic bags and we’re hopeful that Philadelphia will be the next one to take this crucial step.

We call on other members of Philadelphia City Council to cosponsor this legislation and move it quickly to Mayor Kenney’s desk to become law.”
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PennEnvironment is a citizen-based, statewide environmental advocacy organization working to ensure clean air, clean water, and protecting Pennsylvania’s great natural heritage. For more information about this and other PennEnvironment projects, visit www.PennEnvironment.org.