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You can expect to see fewer plastic bags littering the beaches, waters, and streets of Hawaii in the next few years.

Yesterday evening Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle signed Bill 10 into law, banning plastic bags on the last remaining island of Hawaii without an adopted ban.

Once this ordinance becomes effective, the entire state will be free of plastic bags. Impressively, this was accomplished completely under local ordinances.

The ordinance goes into effect in July of 2015. Plastic bags have been banned from Maui and Kauai since 2011, while the Big Island's ban is scheduled to be effective starting next year.

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The Solana Beach City Council adopted a plastic bag ban at yesterday's meeting. This is the first bag ordinance in San Diego County. With this passage, a total of 47 cities and counties across the state are, or will soon be, covered under similar bans.

The Solana Beach bag ordinance goes into effect in grocery stores and restaurants in three months. It expands to all other retailers by this November. Single-use plastic bags are banned, while stores that distribute recycled content paper bags must charge ten cents per bag.

Kudos to Solana Beach for its environmental leadership! We hope that this is just the beginning for bag ban adoptions in the beautiful San Diego area.

Learn more information on plastic bag pollution by joining our listserve for updates on plastic pollution. Support our work on this issue and make a donation today.

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A University of Washington scientist has calculated that past studies of oceanic plastic pollution underestimate the total plastic found by a factor of up to 27.

A new method of counting plastic by Giora Proskurowski includes wind strength as an influential factor. The higher the wind at the surface, the deeper the lightweight plastics can be found below.

Previous studies have typically skimmed the surface of ocean waters to count plastic. Proskurowski's method will include plastic as far down as 100 feet below the surface.

According to Discovery, he recently tested his method in the North Atlantic and "almost every tow we did contained plastic regardless of the depth."

(photo credit: Sea Education Association)

For a list of local bag ordinances in the country, or more information on plastic bag pollution, visit our website. Join our listserve for updates on plastic pollution, or support our work on this issue and make a donation today.

The Connecticut Senate passed legislation that requires mattress manufacturers to form a stewardship organization to come up with a statewide mattress stewardship plan by July 2013 for review and approval by the DEEP commissioner. The plan, in addition to collection, transport and disposal, will include a fee structure tied to the purchase of mattresses to pay for everything.

According to the Connecticut Mirror, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection estimates that 176,000 mattresses a year are disposed of through municipal waste streams at a cost to taxpayers of about $1.2 million. An equal amount is handled through mattress retailers.

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Check out the Bill status

Illinois residents--watch out! There's a bill in the Legislature that's being pushed by the plastic bag industry and would prevent local governments, except for Chicago, from banning plastic bags.

SB 3442 by Illinois State Senator Terry Link is currently on the floor of the second House. It may be scheduled for a second reading as early as next Monday.

The bill also requires plastic bag manufacturers to register with the state and develop a recycling plan to increase access to collection sites and improve recycling rates. Manufacturers would have to show less than 1% increase in plastic bag recycling from 2014 to 2015. Failure to meet these requirements could lead to fines of no more than $1000.

This bill attempts to wrap plastic bags (pun intended) in the flag of recycling while sneaking in a provision to take away local power. But as we've seen in California, recycling doesn't work. The statewide infrastructure for plastic bag recycling as mandated under CA law resulted in a dismal 3% recycling rate in 2009.

Take action and tell your IL representative to vote 'no' on this bill.

In the absense of a statewide solution, it's up to local governments to take action against plastic bag pollution. Plastic bag ordinances, such as the LA County ordinance which recently reported a 94% reduction in all single-use bags, work. Plastic bag recycling does not.
 

Today marks the first day for plastic bag bans in two Colorado cities.

Last October, Aspen and Carbondale both passed ordinances banning plastic bags and placing a 20 cent charge on paper bags in large supermarkets.

The city of Basalt passed a similar ordinance around the same time which would also have been effective today. The Basalt ordinance was narrowly overturned by a voter referendum last April, while another ballot initiative in Carbondale affirmed the decision to ban plastic bags.

Read an article at http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/152939.

The state of Hawaii may soon be rid of the ubiquitous plastic bag.

Last week the Honolulu City and County Council passed a plastic bag ban, which now awaits a signature by Mayor Carlisle. Honolulu is the last county in the state without a bag ordinance, so if signed into law, Hawaii becomes the first state covered by local plastic bag bans.

Earlier this year Hawaii County adopted an ordinance banning plastic bags which goes into effect next year. Maui County banned plastic bags in 2008, and Kauai County in 2009. Both bans became effective in January 2011.

The ordinance in Honululu bans non-compostable plastic bags from the island of Oahu. The deadline for Mayor Carlisle to take action is May 10.

The Hawaii State Legislature is also considering a bill to restrict both paper and plastic bags statewide. Currently, no state has the distinction of passing a bill to ban or restrict plastic bags. But with close calls in California and Oregon in recent years, and with this new push in Hawaii, we expect that to change in the near future.
 

Colorado joins 17 other states that have passed laws addressing the emerging problem of electronic waste in landfills. Starting July 1, 2013,  Coloradans will no longer be able to dispose of their electronic equipment and gadgets in landfills.

As quoted in the Pueblo Chieftain,  Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, one of the bill sponsors said: "the same items in electronics that hold value when recycled pose serious environmental risks when left to decay and seep carcinogens into the soil."

Not only will the law protect public health and the environment, this policy will also help increase the electronic recycling sector in the state.  According to  Marjorie Griek, executive director of the Colorado Association for Recycling.

“It means jobs,” she said. “It’s economic development, and it means less toxics in our landfills.”

See if your state has a recycling law.

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The Fort Bragg City Council is holding a hearing on a proposed bag ban this evening.

If passed, the ordinance would ban plastic bags and require a 10 cent charge on paper bags at all retail stores. The Fort Bragg ordinance is similar to bag bans also being considered in Ukiah and unincorporated Mendocino County.

The meeting will be held at Town Hall (363 N. Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA) on April 23, 2012 starting at 6 pm.

If the Council approves the ordinance tonight, a final adoption is scheduled for May 14. The ordinance would be operative in large supermarkets and stores six months after adoption, and in all other stores one year after that.

For a list of local bag ordinances in the country, or more information on plastic bag pollution, visit our website. Join our listserve for updates on plastic pollution, or support our work on this issue and make a donation today.

Campaign for Recycling hopes everyone has a wonderful Earth Day!

Celebrate the 42nd Earth Day and show your appreciation for our planet. There are many local events and activities planned this weekend--check your local paper.

You can also create an online pledge for your own "act of green". Remember to reduce first, then reuse and recycle. Examples of others' pledges include choosing reusable items (bags, water bottles, etc.) instead of single-use items, and biking to work.

It's also National Park Week. Over 100 National Parks have free entrance from April 21-April 29. Celebrate Earth Day by visiting and exploring a Park near you.