Passing an ordinance regulating the use of plastic bags in New Hanover County will be a major step in aesthetically improving our community while reducing the expense of plastic bag disposal. Please send a letter of support to local officials to get the ball rolling.

We use plastic bags for minutes, yet they persist in our environment for hundreds of years. The average person uses 360 single-use plastic bags every year, which is over 38 million bags in Wilmington alone.

Despite efforts to expand recycling programs, less than 12% of single-use plastic bags are currently being recycled nationwide. The rest of these bags inevitably end up in our landfill or as litter, clogging storm drain systems, and making their way to the Cape Fear River and ocean. Plastic bags entangle or are ingested by sea turtles and shore birds, as well as break down into small bits that persist in the ecosystem and may move through the food chain if ingested by fish.

Bag ordinances are not a new approach to dealing with plastic bag blight. There are 29 countries with plastic bag legislation and 26 US States with proposed legislation. Currently, our very own Outer Banks communities have banned plastic bags. Additionally, Hawaii is the first entire state to regulate plastic bags. The passage of an ordinance will be a major step in breaking our addiction to single-use bags and will protect our coasts and beaches from unsightly, costly pollution and marine fatalities caused by single-use plastic bags.

These policies have reduced the use of plastic bags and consequently the use of petroleum and natural gas, space in landfills, and the negative impacts of plastic bag litter, all without affecting the economy.

Please take an active step in improving our community by sending letters of support to local officials.