Statement: NC bill to reduce plastic waste passes House, moves to Senate

RALEIGH-  The NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2023 (HB28) passed the North Carolina House of Representatives in a 117-1 vote on Wednesday, May 3rd. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Harry Warren (R), aims to reduce plastic waste in state agencies and directs the North Carolina Collaboratory to further study the plastic pollution problem in our state.

Plastic pollution is a major threat to our health, planet, and wildlife. In fact, studies have found that on average humans are consuming about a credit card’s worth of plastic each week. Meanwhile, scientists have also estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. We need to reduce unnecessary plastic consumption everywhere we can and this bill would be a positive first step in the right direction for North Carolina.

Now the bill moves to the North Carolina Senate where it has faced challenges in the past, but advocates and legislative allies remain hopeful that the third time’s the charm to get this bill across the finish line. 

In response, NCPIRG State Director, Katie Craig, released the following statement: 

“Nothing we use for just a few minutes should litter the places we love, pollute the water we drink, and harm our wildlife and communities for hundreds of years. We are excited to see the North Carolina Managing Environmental Waste Act pass the house and thankful for Rep. Warren, the environmental community, and many others for their work on this bill.” 

“When it comes to our plastic pollution problem, our state government should be part of the solution, not a contributor to the problem. This common sense, bipartisan bill would bring us one step closer to that. As the bill moves to the Senate, we look forward to continuing to work with legislators and stakeholders to move North Carolina beyond plastics.”