Pennsylvania’s biggest issue might not be climate change or gun violence, but instead  its reliance on single-use plastics for everyday life. Single-use plastics are plastic products that are only used once before they are thrown out, which encompasses plastic bags, straws, water bottles, and most food packaging. The majority of this plastic is sent to landfills, where their chemicals seep into the ground and pollute the surrounding environment. From there, they are either incinerated, or end up in the ocean where they sink to the ocean floor and cause havoc to the ocean’s ecosystem. Due to several concerns, multiple townships and cities within Pennsylvania have looked towards a ban on single use plastics to help lower the plastic waste generated by the state.

 It started in 2016 when the Pennsylvania Assembly passed a bill “banning bags” on plastic bags and other products by Pennsylvania municipalities. Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the bill, allowing Pennsylvania municipalities to enact restrictions on single-use plastic products. Since then only Narberth Borough has placed restrictions on single-use plastics, including a ban of plastic straws and a tax on plastic bags. Doylestown Borough has also recently looked at the effects of restrictions on single-use plastics, and has met with officials from Narberth to see how their restrictions were working. The borough is looking to enact an ordinance by late 2019. The initial proposal will be for plastic bags and straws to be available upon request for a fee.

These actions are being taken in order to clean not only the streets we live on, but to also curb the pollution of the environment. These bans are being put into place in order to prevent plastic from being thrown out by limiting how much plastic is used in general. The less plastic we use, the less plastic will pollute the environment, keeping our state clean.