Ban on single-use plastic bags proposed for Portsmouth

Clean Ocean Access to make request before Town Council Aug. 22

Posted 8/8/16

PORTSMOUTH — Customers of Clements’ Marketplace and other local stores would no longer be able to use single-use plastic bags to carry out their groceries if a local environmental …

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Ban on single-use plastic bags proposed for Portsmouth

Clean Ocean Access to make request before Town Council Aug. 22

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Customers of Clements’ Marketplace and other local stores would no longer be able to use single-use plastic bags to carry out their groceries if a local environmental group gets its way.

The nonprofit Clean Ocean Access (COA) will ask the Town Council on Aug. 22 to pass a resolution asking the town administrator to draft an ordinance for the elimination of single-use carryout checkout bags.

According to Dave McLaughlin, COA’s executive director, Newport and Middletown recently passed similar resolutions, “so it makes good sense for the community of Aquidneck Island to develop and implement an island-wide ordinance in a uniform and consistent manner.”

COA says eliminating the single-use plastic bags is necessary to improve ocean health. 

“We have removed 9,997 plastic bags from the shoreline since 2013 and the percentage has increased each year,” Mr. McLaughlin stated in an Aug. 3 letter to the town. “Aquidneck Island is dependent on a healthy ocean. It makes sense that ocean health is a constant priority and we are a seen as a leader for environmental sustainability.”

Single-use plastic bags’ negative impact is real, he said. When caught in storm drains they can lead to flooding, are constantly seen in trees and brushes, are difficult to remove, and can reduce ecosystem connectivity, Mr. McLaughlin said.

“They create artificial environments for water to pool rather than being absorbed into the ground, allowing for mosquitos to breed,” he stated in the letter. “Bags break down into tiny pieces, can absorb toxins and can become part of our food chain. The impact to marine life is perhaps the most visible in today’s world, the bags look just like jellyfish and are ingested mistakenly by sea life, and more and more we are hearing of dead marine life that contain some form of plastic.”

He said the bag ordinance should have a strong message of sustainability, with a focus on reducing the amount of material consumed, rather than recycling them. “It is not a question of ‘paper or plastic,’” he said. “It needs a theme of ‘bring your own’ with a focus on durable, reusable bags.”

Eliminating the single-use plastic bags “is seen as a good first step to tickle moral persuasion so people start making better choices with a goal of reducing all single-use plastics,” Mr. McLaughlin said.

For more information about COA, visit www.cleanoceanaccess.org.

Clean Ocean Access, Portsmouth Town Council, Clements' Marketplace, recycling

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