Plastic Pollution Reduced

An Act to Eliminate Single-use Plastic Carry-out Bags (2019)

Sponsors: Holly B. Stover

LD 1532

Single-use plastic shopping bags litter our lands and pollute our waters, clog storm drains, and damage recycling equipment. Scientists warn that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish and these plastic bags threaten the health of marine mammals, fish, and birds. Globally, stores distribute about one million plastic shopping bags per minute, while consumers recycle only one percent of these. With the enactment of LD 1532, Maine joins a handful of states leading the way in reducing plastic pollution with a ban on single-use plastic bags at the point of sale. This bill will go into effect on Earth Day 2020.