To: The Massachusetts State House, The Massachusetts State Senate, and Governor Charlie Baker
Ban Plastic Straws in Massachusetts
500 million straws are thrown away each day, just in the US alone, continually ending up in our oceans and on the recreational beaches. This constant dumping of plastic into our waterways is rapidly depleting the aquatic life in oceans. By the year of 2050, there is expected to be more plastic waste than fish in the ocean, according to Ellen MacArthur (a retired sailor & founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation).
Why is this important?
Plastic straws contain BPA (Bisphenol A), which is an industrial chemical that is colorless, and poorly soluble in water. When the fish are exposed to the toxins, they acquire them, then we eat the fish, taking in a much higher and stronger concentration of BPA via bio magnification. Aside from the dangers that this plastic poses to humans, the effects they have on aquatic life is detrimental. The straws are ingested by different species of sea life that then suffocate on the straws and killing the animals. Fish in the North Pacific Ocean alone ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic each year. Please sign this petition and join our journey so we can get rid of plastic straws!