Yes, you read that correctly. According to The State, Rep. Eric Bedingfield and House Speaker Jay Lucas have introduced legislation that would prevent cities from setting up their own bans on plastic bags. These cities are trying to set up limits in order to protect ocean ecosystems, specifically for endangered seas turtles.
Plastic bags are a major source of litter that can easily make their way into water systems. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags as their natural prey, the jellyfish, and consume them by accident. Plastic blocks their intestinal track which eventually kills them. Sea turtles are a federally protected animal and are also considered endangered.
But it isn’t just plastic bags that can harm the ocean. There are also certain types of plastics that break down into small particles that small creatures often eat. If consumed, these plastics could lower reproduction and kill all kinds of creatures, like the grass shrimp. These little guys are fundamentally important to the food chain, as much larger marine life consumes them. So, no shrimp means no larger sea creatures, which creates an even greater negative impact on the ecosystem.
Our plastic consumption is a huge deal. We have become reliant on it, especially plastic bags. Anyone else have a plastic bag in their room filled with other plastic bags? But the biggest argument that Rep. Bedingfield and House Speaker Lucas have about blocking bans on plastic bags concerns jobs. They say that roughly 200 jobs in South Carolina are reliant on plastic bag manufacturing and that the big industrial plants that produce bags pump money in South Carolina’s economy.
The legislation has a huge uphill climb in order to be passed. There are numerous groups that oppose it and it hasn’t gotten the nod from either the House or Senate. It also must be passed before the session ends, which is next month.
As many know, there are several alternates to using plastic bags, such as using your own grocery bags instead. Also, you can help fix our littering problem by properly disposing, recycling of, and picking up trash. As for the job situation, there could be jobs created insteas to help clean up SC’s coast and tackle the littering problems we have.
\What do you think? Share your thoughts! Is it ridiculous to block bans on plastic use? Or should we not jeopardize any more jobs in the rough economy? Are there any alternate solutions?