Green Newton

Kudos to State Senators Cynthia Creem, Jamie Eldridge and the entire MA State Senate for their leadership in voting on May 25, 2016 to ban plastic carryout bags from large retail establishments in Massachusetts. Thirty two cities and towns have already passed restrictions on these bags. Plastic bags offer five minutes of convenience in exchange for generations of toxicity in our environment. These lightweight bags blow into trees, parks and waterways where they choke marine life; for example, turtles mistake them for jellyfish and ingest them. Plastic does not biodegrade but rather breaks down into microplastics which have been found at the deepest depths of the ocean. These microplastics are eaten by marine life and eventually make their way into fish that are eaten by humans. As a coastal state with hundreds of rivers and streams, it is particularly important for Massachusetts to say no to this unnecessary and deadly source of toxic pollution. Sierra Club MA and Green Newton are among many environmental groups that applaud the MA Senate for saying BYOB, “Bring Your Own Bag!”