Alert — and environmentally conscious — “06880” reader Bob Weingarten writes:
In 2008 Westport passed an ordinance banning single-use plastic shopping bags. At that time it was the most extensive ban on plastic bags in the U.S. Since then we have assisted many other communities in their efforts to ban plastic bags.
Last month our RTM voted unanimously to ban single-use plastic cups, straws, stirrers and Styrofoam materials used in food services. Westport is believed to be the first municipality on the East Coast with such a ban.
Westport is ahead of the times in considering bans of plastic bags and single-use plastic products. We appear to be the most forward-looking town in Connecticut in plastic usage. But are we celebrating our efforts a bit too early?
According to the EPA, 12% of the municipal solid waste stream is plastics. Only 8% of all plastic products are recycled.
The most recognized single-use plastics items are plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles, but there are many more ordinary items. They include plastic bags for vegetable and fruit packaging; meat, poultry, dairy and fish products; packaging for fresh flowers and dry cleaning items; doggy waste bags and much more.
Single-use plastic is everywhere. (Photo/Bob Weingarten)
Why worry? The EPA only attributes 12% of our solid waste to plastic products. This sounds small, but we need to consider where this 12% is placed.
Most of the plastics go to municipal waste sites. But they go in the ocean too. Recently, 180 countries reached an agreement to sharply reduce the amount of plastic that gets washed into the world’s oceans. The US was a major holdout.
An estimated 100 million tons of plastic is now found in the oceans. Some of that is ingested by fish. We know where that goes next.
What can we do to preserve our environment, since new regulations take lots of time? We can continue to voice our opinion for legislative support to ban single-use plastic products. This will cost more, but in the end will benefit us, our children and grandchildren.
In the interim we can take steps to recycle single-use plastics today, by chopping it into pellets. They can be reprocessed into new bags, and can be shipped to a company to be manufactured into plastic lumber.
Right now, our Westport transfer station does not provide recycling bins for plastic items.
But one place in Westport does provide plastic recycle bins: both entrances to Stop & Shop.
(Photo/Bob Weingarten)
I’ve only found one other plastic recycle bin in our area: Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk.
Care must be taken with these bins.
There cannot be any paper labels on the plastic — even pricing information — because the paper interferes with the chopping process.
Also, plastic with bright color imprints is not good for chopping. Do not include those products.
Some people may not know what to do with single-use plastic products. I hope this information helps.