Ban The Bag

Single-use plastic bags represent one of the greatest environmental catastrophes of our generation. Around 100 billion petroleum-based plastic checkout bags are used each year in the United States, requiring an estimated 12 million barrels of oil each year. Sadly, less than 5% of these bags are recycled each year and cities, counties, and non-profit organizations must pay millions of dollars each year to clean up plastic litter.

Further, it is estimated that 60–80% of all debris in the ocean is plastic. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down at sea and most types never truly biodegrade. As a result, marine animals often get entangled in the debris or mistake it for food.

Many other cities have taken similar action recently including San Francisco and Oakland which both recently passed ordinance bans on plastic bags. It is now time for Portland to demonstrate similar leadership in support of a sustainable future for all people and our natural environment.