With Maine being the first US state to
officially ban single use food and drink containers made of Styrofoambeginning in 2021 and single use plastic bags beginning on Earth Day 2020, the
state has become a leader in the nationwide movement to eliminate
throw-away plastics. Even retailers who once opposed bans or fees on plastic bags
came out in support of a comprehensive state policy instead of a patchwork of local ordinances. More than 20 towns in Maine already had some
type of plastic shopping bag ordinance.
EcoSattvas DownEast, an environmental
group based in Pembroke and inspired by the example of the “bodhisattva,”
someone compassionately dedicated to relieving suffering in the world, has
spearheaded a multi-year campaign to encourage the voluntary elimination of these
single-use plastics: plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags,
plastic straws and styrofoam cups. These throw-away plastics are principle
sources of the plastic waste that is filling the world’s oceans. The
group is sponsoring a More Ocean, Less Plastic information table at various
venues DownEast at which people are invited to take this pledge: “For one
year, I will say ‘No’ to single-use plastic shopping bags, plastic water
bottles, plastic straws and styrofoam cups whenever I can and if I end up
getting an item, whether by forgetfulness or by being in a situation
where it was unavoidable, I will keep it until the end of the year.”
While the statewide bans on styrofoam
drink cups and plastic shopping bags will ultimately force consumers to change
those disposable plastic habits, the group hopes voluntary compliance will
begin now and extend to straws and plastic water bottles. Straws
cannot be recycled anywhere and plastic water bottles, while advertised as
recyclable, often are not effectively recycled. According to a 2018 US
Census Bureau report, 78 percent of US plastic waste was exported to countries
that are now known to be overwhelmed with plastic waste and major
sources of plastic ocean
pollution. Many now argue that we should
stop recycling our plastic waste until we can confirm that it is not
ending up in countries with poor waste management systems. All the good
recycling efforts we have undertaken for years may in fact have contributed to the
global ocean plastic crisis. EcoSattvas DownEast hope that their Take
the Pledge campaign will make people rethink their use of all kinds of
plastic and contribute to the global movement to protect our oceans.
For more information, see www.zendowneast.org.
Diane Fitzgerald
