WashPIRG shows support for the WRAP Act

Every day, people throw away tons of plastic “stuff” — packaging, bags, takeout containers, and more. All of this waste clogs our landfills and incinerators, trashes our parks, litters our streets, and washes into our rivers and oceans, where it can harm wildlife.

It’s easy to blame the plastic waste crisis on litterbugs or people who don’t recycle. Easy, but wrong. The real responsibility for the plastics crisis lies with the companies that manufacture these products in the first place.That’s why WashPIRG is supporting the WRAP Act (HB 1131/SB 5154), which would hold companies responsible for the waste their products create and incentivize less and better packaging design in the first place.

On Tuesday, the Plastic-Free Washington coalition hosted an event at the capitol building in Olympia to support the WRAP Act, with legislators and staff enjoying free gelato from Sofie’s Scoops and recycling-themed games like plinko, a mini beach-cleanup, and a bottle-tossing competition. There were also hearings in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, and the House Environment and Energy Committee, where Dax testified in support on behalf of WashPIRG.

The final Senate tally showed over 1400 people signed in to support the WRAP Act, compared to 32 in opposition.