Ban Single-Use Plastic Containers

While I was in Taiwan, I volunteered for a plastics cleanup at a local beach nearby. Since Taiwan is a small island that is far away from other countries, I was surprised at the amount of plastic waste that washed up on the shores. Instead of seeing little kids frolicking in the water and people sunbathing, the beach was littered with plastic bags, bottles and even tire wheels. It was a devastating site that opened my eyes to the problem of plastic pollution.

Everyone is guilty of using plastic forks, bags and styrofoam cups. In fact, every minute one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. The amount of plastic has accumulated so much that it is killing wildlife, infecting coral reefs, polluting beaches and causing havoc on our environment.

The solution is simple: a ban on the most harmful plastic items like polystyrene foam cups and takeout containers. By implementing a ban, people will naturally transition to a more biodegradable alternative. 

Florence, Eugene, Portland and Ashland have already carried out a ban on polystyrene foam containers. Now we just need a statewide ban to protect our environment.

In order to win change at the state level, we need to convince key decision-makers in the state legislature to carry out a ban. We can do so by showing them the overwhelming public support for the issue. Let’s make sure we never have to clean up the beaches anymore since it’ll already be clean.

Emily Ma

Eugene