Help the Surfrider Foundation Massachusetts Chapter get a state bag law over the finish line this legislative session! Please use this Action Alert to contact your state legislators now and ask them to co-sponsor An Act Relative to Plastic Bag Reduction (H.784/S.477) before the bill comes up for a hearing.
Before we started taking action, roughly 2 billion plastic bags were used and disposed annually in MA. That’s more than 250 bags for every FOOT of our state’s 1500+ mile coastline each and every year. Since then, nearly 160 MA cities and towns have passed local restrictions on disposable checkout bags, covering well more than two-thirds of residents. With a solid state bill pending, it’s time to get the job done on Beacon Hill and establish strong, uniform standards on checkout bags for the people, business, and natural environment of Massachusetts.
An Act Relative to Plastic Bag Reduction (H.784/S.477) would significantly curtail film plastic checkout bags and establish a minimum charge for all new bags to actively incentivize bag reuse. It includes up-to-date definitions to minimize loopholes from older generation laws and contains mechanisms to increase the availability of reusable alternatives for those in need. Avoiding the unnecessary use of disposable items, especially those made from fossil fuel derived plastics, is essential to achieving our collective climate goals. Reducing waste also means less need for landfill and incineration, which disproportionately harm low-income residents and communities of color.
Your work and support at the local level has created the opportunity for the Commonwealth to take this significant step towards meeting our waste reduction, climate, and justice goals. Please take this opportunity to raise your voice at the next level and help us get this done in MA!
