Litter is expensive for communities to clean up, and plastic bags contribute to the litter that ruins the physical appearance and perception of communities, parks and recreation areas. Communities spend excessive amounts of money targeting plastic bag clean-up alone, especially because once bags are disposed of, they are likely to jam up machinery and require pricey repairs. Plastic bags are also detrimental to the marine ecosystem, especially animals. Not only are the marine animals harmed, but one-quarter of seafood sold to the general public contains debris, including plastic, which can be dangerous for humans to ingest.

By implementing a county-wide plastic bag ban, litter cleanup taxes would be lowered, communities would improve visually and less animals that inhabit our lakes and rivers would be harmed. To carry out this ban, grocery stores and drugstores would be banned from providing free single-use plastic bags, but bags would be available to customers for a fee of ten cents per bag. This would increase reusable bag usage, and decrease the amount of litter found in streams, creeks and on the side of the road, allowing for the litter cleanup taxes to be used for other beneficial improvements in Somerset County.

Please explore this website to learn more about plastic bags, their negative effects on the environment and the success of counties that have already implemented the ban!