Single-use plastic bags and microbeads have impacted our lives in detrimental ways.
Plastic bags are littering our streets and towns, and are caught up in trees, ingested by birds or sea life. That is why a vortex of plastic debris is floating in the Pacific Ocean. Its size is as big as Texas.
Plastic microbeads are found in the Great Lakes and other New York waterways. They are put into personal care products. However, they end up in waterways and can accumulate toxic chemicals. They are eaten by fish and other small creatures, so they end up in our food chain.
Fortunately, the ban on single-use plastic bags has begun here on Long Island. The towns of Southampton and East Hampton have responded to the problem in two ways. First, the town boards voted to ban the distribution of these bags. Secondly, they moved against the plastic industry’s opposition with a strong non-partisan message: the mess of plastic bags must be stopped right now. They want a cleaner environment on land and on sea.
As for the ban on plastic microbeads, Assemblywoman Michelle Schimmel (16AD) has introduced The Microbeads Free Water Act. It would prohibit the manufacture, distribution, and sale of any beauty product containing these tiny beads. The Assembly has passed on it. It is now before the New York State Senate.
If we want to support our health and our environment, we must cut down on unnecessary plastic pollution. We can push our towns or hamlets for a ban on single-use plastic bags, so this can become a region-wide effort. We can also urge the Senate to support The Microbeads Free Water Act. We will be living a cleaner, healthier life surrounded by natural beauty, not plastic pollution.
—Elaine Peters
