How many people today grab a takeaway coffee cup from the local cafe to drink on the go? We don’t know, but the number must be enormous.. Most every one of the above have a plastic top that will last 100s of years. Some cafes still use plastic cups that last a similar time. Is 10 minutes of coffee worth 100s of years of trash?
These items can be seen littering our gutters and on our streets all over the place. If they were all cardboard, they would still be littered, but they would, at least, be gone in a short time.
They do not need to be made of plastic.
On the way home from the gym last week, a distance of about 1 km (1/2 mile), I counted the items of plastic litter on the curb as I walked. In that short distance I counted 63 pieces of plastic litter. Plastic drink bottles, bottle tops, candy wrappers, plastic film, polystyrene fragments etc. That seemed to be a lot to me. I guess it is a generational thing. Our parents would have been horrified to see that amount, whereas it seems to go unnoticed by our youth of today. In another 20 years how many pieces will there be on this stretch, -- 200? What will today’s youth think of that new amount then when they are older? Will their children be so readily accepting of a higher amount of litter? 
Palm Beach student encourages town to ban plastic balloons, bags
Posted on December 8, 2016 by DrRossH in Balloons
Dozens of coastal communities have passed resolutions supporting plastic bag bans, and local students want Palm Beach to be the next.
Source: Palm Beach student encourages town to ban plastic balloons, bags
“Plastic pollution and balloons continue to be one of the most significant threats impacting marine life in coastal communities around the globe,” Tommy Cutt, LMC chief conservation officer, wrote in an email Tuesday. “The Town of Palm Beach is home to important sea turtle habitat and relies heavily on tourism through seaside resorts. Banning balloons or plastic bags is a proactive approach to reduce pollution, protect marine life and keep the island’s beaches clean — which in turn helps support the local economy.”
Unlike a balloon ban, local governments in Florida don’t have the authority to ban plastic bags.
In 2008, the state passed legislation preventing local governments from regulating plastic bags. It also required the Department of Environmental Protection to submit a report on the “necessity and efficacy” of plastic bag regulation.
The report, released in 2010, introduces many options for discouraging the use of plastic bags. But until the legislature adopts the DEP recommendations, local governments don’t have control.
In the past two years, various House and Senate bills have been introduced unsuccessfully. Opponents say a ban would be expensive for stores and for consumers and would create job losses.
“All bills addressing plastic bags have died in committees because there are some special interests fighting to protect the profits on plastic bags,” Foster wrote. “The slick talking points of the pro-plastic bag lobby are not convincing when we have a front-row seat to the damage they do here in our own town. The young people of Palm Beach are counting on adults to do anything they can to preserve the beauty and quality of life here in our hometown and to follow through with the responsibilities we are reminded of each time we admire the Atlantic Ocean that makes our lives here so unique.”
Why would any sensible person support a law to prohibit the ban on plastic bags?
Discussion · No Comments
There are no responses to "Palm Beach student encourages town to ban plastic balloons, bags". Comments are closed for this post.Oops! Sorry, comments are closed at this time. Please try again later.