Contributed by Carol Montgomery, Mat-Su Zero Waste Coalition Plastic Bag Committee
Did you know that reindeer die from eating plastic bags? Hopefully Santa is on top of this and will watch his reindeer closely.
But seriously, Christmas is a time for children, and it was children, third graders in fact, who first alerted us to the fact that real life reindeer and caribou right here in the Valley were eating plastic bags. On a field trip to the recycling center, they told us they saw Dr. Collins at the Matanuska Experiment Farm pull nine plastic bags out of one of his research caribou. The reaction of those children started us on a mission to learn more about the hazards of plastic bags.
Since then we’ve learned of necropsy-confirmed deaths of multiple reindeer at several local farms, as well as other wildlife deaths in other parts of the state, including a musk ox calf near Nome and a sea turtle at the sea life center in Seward. These were all confirmed deaths due to plastic bag obstruction. Now Dr. Collins is also finding plastic bags in his research moose: www.facebook.com/BagItMatSu/videos/1831841250477734/.
Necropsies are expensive and rarely done, and so these confirmed cases are likely representative of a much larger problem. People have told us they have lost horses and dogs due to plastic bag obstruction.
Flimsy plastic shopping bags are a particular problem in the Valley because they catch every bit of wind, flying out of dumpsters, trash cans and the landfill. They blow away when they are being loaded onto garbage trucks. We all hate the mess they create. It’s shameful, and it hurts our image as a pristine tourist destination.
What’s even worse is all that unsightly litter will get blown or washed into our waterways and eventually the ocean, where it will break down into small particles called microplastics. Plankton eat these microplastic particles, and salmon eat the plankton. In fact, a study of plankton in coastal British Columbia estimated that returning adult salmon were ingesting up to 91 microplastic particles/day. www.researchgate.net/publication/278041328_Ingestion_of_Microplastics_by_Zooplankton_in_the_Northeast_Pacific_Ocean
We don’t know yet what effects this plastic contamination has on human health. The research is still in its infancy. But the amount of plastic in the ocean is growing at an alarming rate. By 2050, it is estimated that the oceans could have more plastic by weight than fish. In the Mat-Su alone, we are contributing over 20 million bags every year to this problem.
The Plastic Bag Committee has found strong community support in the Valley for regulation to address the plastic bag problem. Last February, we stood in front of Carrs, Fred Meyers and Walmart to ask your opinion. We then continued our poll on Survey Monkey. Of the1500 residents who responded, 65% favored some regulation to reduce or eliminate plastic grocery bags. Members of the Plastic Bag Committee have spoken to community councils, chambers of commerce, rotary clubs, Kiwanis and many other community groups to raise awareness of the plastic bag problem. We have received support from every group we have spoken to. These groups and individuals contributed $3500 to our campaign, which we used for radio ads and purchasing bags to hand out. You may have seen us handing out free reusable shopping bags at Fred Meyers and Carrs/Safeway in November.
Barb Doty started the conversation with a proposed borough ordinance of a five cent excise tax on plastic bags. People expressed opposition to a tax, so Wasilla Mayor Cottle has instead proposed an ordinance to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. The Zero Waste Coalition Plastic Bag Committee supports this ordinance as an important step to get a handle on this growing problem.
It’s hard to make a case against the ordinance. Those who oppose government regulations will find that this ordinance is the minimal amount of regulation needed to address a big problem. The ordinance does not place a fee on plastic bags and bans only the flimsy fly-away bags that are less than 2.25 milliliters thick. Stores will still give bags to customers, so no one will be inconvenienced. If a store chooses to use plastic, the bags will be a better quality, won’t fall apart on you, won’t require double bagging and will be suitable for reuse. These bags are less likely to get loose in the wind and hopefully, will be reused by customers next time they go shopping. Cordova enacted a similar bag ban last year. They are a fishing community, so they know what’s at stake.
I think everyone in the Mat Su will breath a sigh of relief when, hopefully in the not too distant future, breakup will come and we won’t have to cringe when we look up at the trees and the brush by the side of the road. Let’s work together to keep our Valley beautiful and our wildlife healthy and abundant. Let’s do it for our children. Please show your support for Ordinance 17-24, a ban on single-use plastic grocery bags.
