ASK CALIFORNIA’S SENATE TO RISE ABOVE PLASTICS: Support AB 2058
Now is the time to ask your state representative to help RISE
ABOVE PLASTICS by enacting progressive legislation to fight
marine debris. AB 2058 would enact a regulation to help address
the prevalence of single-use plastic bags, which easily enter
the litter stream and wreak havoc on our ocean environment.
You can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ab2058final/iekxnwzo735nn6i
Visit the web address to tell your friends about this.
We encourage you to take action by August 30, 2008!
The unregulated use of single-use plastic carryout
bags is detrimental to the fragile marine environment and a
wasteful use of our natural resources. Plastic bag litter is
responsible for the deaths of thousands of birds, marine
mammals, and endangered turtles which mistake them for food or
become entangled in them. Californians use an estimated 19
billion plastic bags per year, less than 5% of which are
currently being recycled, and millions of dollars of taxpayer
money are be spent annually to clean up plastic litter.
AB 2058 would result in a significant reduction in the amount of
plastic bag litter by requiring large grocery stores and
pharmacies to charge 25 cents for plastic bags if certain
diversion requirements are not met by 2011, thereby encouraging
shoppers to bring reusable bags to the store. The money from the
fee will be used by the stores to implement specified plastic
carryout bag recycling, plastic carryout bag cleanup, and
plastic carryout bag waste reduction programs. This fee will
help negate the negative impacts of plastic bags while at the
same time decreasing the number of plastic bags used. This will
result in the reduction of plastic litter in our environment and
the increased use of reusable bags which are durable, widely
available, affordable, and much safer for the environment.
