Janet Domenitz
Executive Director, MASSPIRG
MASSPIRG Statement on Launch of Plastic Bag Ban in Boston
Media Contacts
MASSPIRG
Contact: Janet Domenitz, MASSPIRG, 617-308-9109
Ben Hellerstein, Environment Massachusetts, 914-420-9706
Single use plastic bags are a blight to our environment, as our oceans are increasingly filled with pieces of plastic; our wildlife is being choked by plastic waste, our neighborhoods, parks and playgrounds are littered. Not to mention that plastic bags clog sewage drains, damage recycling machines, and take centuries to degrade.
We can do better, by going back to the future with this ban. Not too long ago there was no such thing as single use plastic bags. Nothing that we use for an average of 5 minutes should pollute our environment for hundreds of years.
Out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 90 have passed some version of a plastic bag ban. The sooner we can get a statewide law, the sooner we can all transition in a smooth and efficient way. In the meantime, we congratulate the City of Boston for taking this important step for a more sustainable city.