Ban on plastic bags could have big impact on litter, climate change, WNC nonprofit says

By Taylor Thompson

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — The city of Asheville is looking for ways to reduce single-use plastic. And local environmental nonprofit MountainTrue said one big way to do that is by banning the use of plastic bags and adding a 10-cent charge to paper bags at grocery stores.

MountainTrue’s watershed science and policy manager for the French Broad Riverkeeper program Anna Alsobrook said they have been working with several other groups to push for a plastic bag and Styrofoam ban in Asheville and Buncombe County.

Alsobrook said it’s something that is doable and will make a big dent in greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption, litter on the roads and the landfill filling up.

She said many people don’t realize that plastic is made by the fossil fuel industry and it’s a byproduct of the hydrofracking process. Because of that, plastic bags are directly tied to climate change.

“If we can curb our use of plastic, especially in these easy ways by getting rid of plastic bags at the checkout and not having Styrofoam takeout containers, we can curb our climate impacts,” Alsobrook said.

Many places across the country already have these types of bans in place, she said, leading to a significant reduction in plastic on the streets.

While paper bags are better than plastic bags, they’re still not the answer, Alsobrook said. The 10-cent charge added to paper bags is to keep the demand for paper bags down. But Alsobrook said she would not want the 10-cent charge to apply to anyone using an EBT card.

A big issue with plastic is what it turns into as it breaks down: microplastic.

Alsobrook said microplastics are everywhere because plastic does not disintegrate — it just continues to break into smaller pieces. She said they are seeing microplastics show up in the human body, wildlife and all over the globe.

“We ingest about a credit card’s worth of microplastics a week just through the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the beer we drink,” Alsobrook said.

She said that means the more plastic put into the world, the more microplastics exist over time and the more people will ingest them.

Alsobrook said the group isn’t against all plastic. It does have its place, such as on cars or as some life-saving devices.

But what they really want to curb is single-use plastic, meaning the plastic that only has a few minutes of use and then is thrown away.

Alsobrook said she would love to see a ban hit the city council’s desk this fall. She said many people she’s talked with have been supportive of such a ban.

“People have seen it in other places, a lot of people have traveled to these cities that have had these ordinances on the books already, and they realize what a big difference it can make,” Alsobrook said.

Some benefits of getting rid of plastic bags include not having them in trees, clogging storm drains or lying on the sides of roads.

Alsobrook said the goal is for people to take their own bags with them to stores.

“If we just get rid of all plastic bags, you’re more likely to remember to bring your own bag with you,” she said.

Asheville has a survey open for people to share their thoughts on a plastic ban.

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