February 2024 - Plastics Free Initiative

California Tried to Ban Plastic Grocery Bags. It Didn’t Work.

February 18, 2024By Plastics-Free InitiativeNews

Almost a decade ago, California became the first state in the United States to ban single-use plastic bags in an effort to tackle an intractable plastic waste problem. Then came the reusable, heavy-duty plastic bags, offered to shoppers for ten cents. Designed to withstand dozens of uses, and technically recyclable, many retailers treated them as exempt from the ban.

Small South Florida island shows scope of plastic problem as regulation bills stall

February 16, 2024By Plastics-Free InitiativeNews

Plastic bills stall, but pollution persists on barrier island in Biscayne Bay.

Scientists make disturbing discovery about almost all protein sources: ‘There’s no way to hide’

February 6, 2024By Plastics-Free InitiativeNews

Researchers from the Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto analyzed more than a dozen different types of proteins including seafood, pork, chicken, beef, and tofu. They found microplastics in nearly 90% of the samples they tested and estimated that the average American adult may consume at least 11,000 pieces of microplastics each year.