Turtle Island Restoration Network, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, Californians Against Waste and other organizations, sent a letter to the San Diego City Council asking San Diego to phase out single-use plastic shopping bags and encourage reusable bags. The City Council is scheduled to consider the proposed bag ordinance tomorrow on July 19, 2016.
Reducing plastic bag waste is good for ocean wildlife as well as city budgets.
Ordinances to phase out plastic bags and encourage reuse have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing flood potential, environmental blight and cleanup costs associated with plastic shopping bags, as evidenced by data from multiple jurisdictions. For example, one year after implementing a local ban, San Jose reported an 89 percent reduction in plastic bag litter in storm drains, a 59 percent reduction in city streets and neighborhoods, and a 60 percent reduction in creeks and rivers.
Plastic bags are known to be ingested by leatherback sea turtles who mistake them for their favorite food: jellyfish. Underwater it’s very hard to tell the difference between a jellyfish and a plastic bag.
TAKE ACTION! Visit San Diego’s City Council website https://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil to contact the City Council and let them know you support the bag ordinance!
Thank you everyone for taking action – San Diego is now the 150th city to ban plastic bags! http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/19/san-diego-plastic-bag-ban/
