What? We're asking the City of Atlanta to require a 10-cent charge on all single-use plastic bags.
Why? Plastic bags are used for just 12 minutes on average (Conserving Now). But plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills and cause widespread environmental damage (Slate).
Who would benefit?
Animals! Plastic bags can suffocate or strangle animals. Marine animals sometimes attempt to eat plastic bags (One Green Planet).
Our wallets! In California alone, for example, it costs around $100 million per year to keep plastic bags out of bodies of water (The Balance). Plastic bags also block up recycling plants, which can damage expensive recycling equipment (The Balance).
Our bodies! In oceans, plastic bags break down into small pieces. Fish eat them but cannot digest them, so plastic enters our food chain (The World Counts).
Retailers! Retailers would keep the revenue from the 10-cent charge.
How?
Sign this petition, like our Facebook page, and share widely!
