Coral Gables Plastic Bag Ban
Coral Gables has become the first city in Florida to pass a plastic bag ban! This ban means that merchants are not allowed to provide consumers with plastic bags to carry any purchased items. Customers will be responsible for their own reusable bags or shops will need to provide reusable bags for purchase or paper bags. Anyone caught giving out plastic bags in the Gables area, regardless of the businesses size, could face charges. Although this ban may be inconvenient for consumers, environmentalists are thrilled with the change.
Why is banning plastic bags important?
According to Conserving Now, plastic in our environment can take between 400 to 1000 years to break down, but as plastic breaks down it becomes more hazardous and harder to eliminate. The plastic makes up 90% of the debris in our oceans and in some places the amount of plastic outnumbers the amount of food sources for marine life.
Jellyfish-eating animals, such as birds, whales, and sea turtles, are the most at risk of these floating plastic junk yards. Plastic bags and other plastic products are often mistaken for these translucent creatures and compromise the digestive tract of the animal. It is estimated that 100,000 marine animals die every year from ingestion of plastic.
Potential impact of the Coral Gables plastic bag ban
Although a large amount of energy will need to go into the production of reusable and paper bags, the hope is that it will help eliminate some of the non-biodegradable waste entering the environment. Coral Gables plastic bag ban is a first step- it is only a small city and plastic bags are only one problem of many, but it is a big feat for the East Coast! The hope is other cities will follow the lead and make this a statewide ordinance.
Instead of avoiding shopping in Coral Gables, we encourage you all to support the cause! Show the rest of Miami, and the state of Florida, we support this ban. Invest in reusable bags and recycle the plastic bags already in your possession. It’s time to be a leader and keep the environment cleaner!
For more information on the dangers of plastics in our environment and to purchase your very own reusable bags go to conservingnow.com.
A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.
