Plastic Bag Ban Initiative In The West Chester Borough Plastic checkout bags have proven to be both harmful and destructive to the environment. West Chester Friends School’s Quaker Leadership Team would like to propose a plastic bag ban for the borough.

The Problem Plastic bags take 500 to 1000 years to break down in a landfill and just break into microplastic particles which stay in the environment forever. * 97% of plastic bags are not recycled. 12 million barrels of oil are used in the U.S alone to produce plastic bags. Their production contributes to climate change. Plastic bags are very harmful to wildlife. They pollute our land and water. Bags can clog storm drains and get into the sewer system, requiring a cost to the borough to correct. Bags can not be part of single stream recycling. *Today, there are an estimated 46,000-1,000,000 plastic fragments floating within every square mile of our world’s oceans. *Today, there are an estimated 46,000-1,000,000 plastic fragments floating within every square mile of our world’s oceans.

Alternatives Here are some alternatives to single use plastic bags: Refuse a bag Reusable bags Paper bags Reuse a packing box Canvas bags poly

Arguments We May Encounter With A Plastic Bag Ban Increased cost to customer and/or business. Me mum d Inconvenient for customers. Cotton bags have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/upload/resources/publications/plastic-bag-phase-out/LCA_shopping_bags_full_report%5B2%5D_2.pdf Paper production emits air pollution, specifically 70 percent more pollution than the production of plastic bags. [source: Thompson / Howstuffworks]. Trees are cut down to make paper bags. Alternative bags made of plastic products also have impacts on the environment.

Supporting Facts For Using A Ban BJ’s, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have not had plastic bags for years and their businesses are thriving. If a merchant is concerned about cost, they can charge for a paper bag and/or sell reusable bags which will cover costs and/or make a profit. It is also a way to provide advertising. Reusable bags are stronger, can be used multiple times and do not contribute to pollution as quickly. Effective and well-planned transition plans have helped other communities have positive results.

Why Compostable Bags Are Not A Good Alternative me med lel um d Compostable bags will compost in a landfill if air and micro-organisms can get to the bag. It doesn’t often work because the landfills are often roofed, due to the smell of trash. Also, they are buried very quickly, so oxygen doesn’t get to them.

Calls To Businesses With Bans Already Enacted We made calls to Rite-Aid stores in California to get data. Rite Aid in San Rafael, California: The manager said that they charge 10 cents for paper bags, and have made more money since the ban. Customers are supportive. Rite Aid in Pacifica, California: The manager said that where the Rite Aid is located the people are very “green” and don’t usually use plastic, so the ban wasn’t a big change. They charge 10 cents for a small paper bag, 25 cents for a large paper bag and a dollar or more for reusables.

Survey Results The Quaker Leadership Team went into the West Chester Borough and asked 22 businesses their thoughts on a proposed ban. 11 business use plastic bags, 9 don't, and 2 use them sometimes. 17 businesses offer alternatives. 18 businesses think a ban would be a good idea. We also asked customers on the street about their thoughts on a possible ban. 24 out of 26 people support the idea of a ban. 1 person was not sure. 1 person was against the ban. 14 people currently use reusable bags.

Survey Results Angel No I like plastic bags Cathy Yes Mark 50/50 Ruby Potential customer (First name) Do you currently use a reusable bag while shopping in the borough? Do you support the idea of a plastic bag ban in the borough? Angel No I like plastic bags Cathy Yes Mark 50/50 Ruby Amy For Sure Makyla Sometimes Donna Absolutely Emily Shure! Jose Aaron Potential customer (First name) Do you currently use a reusable bag while shopping in the borough Do you support the idea of a plastic bag ban in the borough? Martha Yes Absolutely Mark Maddy Edith Chelsea Sometimes James Rebecca Adam No Keith Jamie

We are asking for a ban on single use HDPE plastic bags in the West Chester Borough.

Transition Plan Before a plastic bag ban goes into full effect we need to give businesses time to adjust to the change. We can possibly: Have a transition period with education for retailer and customer with a voluntary ban. Provide Borough sponsored bags to residents/businesses for a time period. Try to set-up places where consumers can use reusable bags that were previously used and donated. Collect bags at borough events.

Our Request We thereby request the following of West Chester Borough Council: Task the Borough’s Sustainability Coordinator to create a transition plan to creating an HDPE plastic bag-free Borough, to include: Collaboration with West Chester University Establishment of reusable bag donation centers Creation of a community-wide educational program/informational resources for Borough businesses based on other cities’ experiences Informational campaign to ensure everyone knows when a ban will be in effect

Our Request We thereby request the following of West Chester Borough Council: Direct the Borough solicitor to draft a ban on “single-use HDPE plastic bags,” to include considerations for businesses (i.e., if a business has a long-term plastic bag contract, allow the business to exhaust its existing inventory/contract terms)

Our Request Proposed timeline: Transition plan completed: January 2019 Ordinance drafted: February 2019 Transition plan in effect: March - May 2019 Ordinance hearing/adoption: April - June 2019 Ban in effect: July 2019 WE ASK WEST CHESTER BOROUGH TO CONTINUE TO BE A LEADER IN OUR REGION AND A MODEL FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES! THANK YOU & QUESTIONS ? ?

References / Sources https://greentumble.com/10-reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned/ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080110-AP-bags_2.html https://greenerideal.com/news/environment/0613-how-do-plastic-bags-affect-our-environment/ http://www.bagtheban.com/multimedia/item/the-truth-about-plastic-bags https://blog.transitionwayland.org/projects/ban-the-plastic-bag-polystyrene-container/plastic-bag-ban/plastic-bag-ban-powerpoint- presentation/ https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/12/17337602/plastic-tote-bags-climate-change-litter-life-cycle-assessments-environment https://medium.com/stanford-magazine/paper-plastic-or-reusable-cloth-which-kind-of-bag-should-i-use-c4039575f3f1 http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/upload/resources/publications/plastic-bag-phase-out/LCA_shopping_bags_full_report%5B2%5D_2.pdf www.NCSL.https://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/ http://www.skipthebag.com/2016/03/why-do-we-worry-about-plastic-bags.html

Picture Credits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hickory_Ridge_Landfill www.pakistantoday.com www.dreamstime.com www.serbiananimalsvoice.com www.pintrest.com www.webstaurantstore.com http://www.ijpr.org/post/ashland-bans-bags-single-use-bags-way- out#stream/0