Friday, September 30, 2011

Welcome!

Welcome to Bag It Corvallis, a local effort to ban single-use plastic bags in Corvallis, Oregon, while focusing on a shift to reusable bags.

Plastic bags are a significant source of waste as they never biodegrade. Used once and then thrown away, these bags persist forever in the environment. In our oceans, they resemble jellyfish and are eaten by sea turtles, killing them. According to an article published by Rolling Stone, they litter beaches, clog sewers, kill wildlife, and are a "nightmare to recycle" as they jam the equipment, which adds more than 25% to labor costs at Oregon's biggest recycling plant.

Our goal is to pass a town ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags and institute a 5-cent fee on paper bags in Corvallis. We believe the 5-cent fee on paper bags is necessary to prevent a switch from one type of disposable bag to another and encourage the use of sustainable, reusable bags.

Over the coming weeks, check in regularly for updates on our efforts to promote the use of sustainable bags in Corvallis. Help us keep Corvallis green!