Miami-Dade County Commissioners recently moved forward with a resolution to ban the use of plastic and Styrofoam at county-owned buildings, including Miami International Airport, Port Miami, and various offices, WSVN 7News reported.
The resolution passed by a 10-3 vote.
Plastic pollution is a major problem for our planet, and single-use plastic products are among the biggest contributors. A huge amount of single-use plastic — which is made from non-renewable petroleum — ends up in landfills, the environment, and the ocean every year. There, it sheds microplastics that have spread to every corner of the planet and directly kills wildlife and marine life by ensnaring and choking the animals.
🗣️ Do you think governments should ban the production of gas-powered lawn equipment?
🔘 Absolutely 💯
🔘 Yes — but not yet 👍
🔘 I don't know 🤷
🔘 Heck no 👎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Banning single-use plastic products is one of the most effective methods we have to fight against this type of pollution — and one that is being taken up by more and more states and municipalities.
These include but are not limited to Massachusetts, which has banned single-use plastic bags as well as outlawed state agencies from buying single-use plastic products; California, which has banned single-use bags, among other products; and New York, which banned plastic bottles in hotels.
While some businesses have balked at these new rules and threatened to pass the associated costs on to their customers, what they are being asked to do is frankly not all that cumbersome. While business owners may feel their right to maximize profits supersedes everyone else's right to live in a world that isn't drowning in litter and pollution, the actions of these various state and city legislatures make it clear that this is not the case.
"[The resolution is] just asking people to pick better products that would reduce their waste — very specifically, single-use plastics that are polluting our bay," Dave Doebler, co-founder of Volunteer Cleanup, told 7News.
"We need to think about really the scourge of plastics," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava said. "We are working so hard to clean up our beaches, our waterways. It's a worldwide problem."
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
