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A new bill in California will target waste from online shopping as the state continues to try to address plastic Pollution.

Source: CGTN America/Youtube

The new bill aims to reduce single-use plastic packaging and filler material that online retailers use during shipping. The state Assembly approved the bill in May, but now it is waiting to be considered by the Senate’s appropriations committee.

Recently, California approved broad legislation to curb plastic Pollution, and it was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in late June. The law gives manufacturers ten years to make sure that plastic packaging and food ware items can be recycled, composted, or reused. In addition, they will also have to cut back on the amount of plastic that they generate.

However, environmental groups and activists are calling for even more action from the state hence the new addition to the bill targeting online retailers and packaging. This addition will allow the state to specifically address online retail, which continues to grow as people can get items delivered as fast as one day.

Have you ever gotten a package that seems to use excess material? Maybe the box was ten times the size of your item, or there was an unnecessary amount of plastic. The bill would require online retailers to decrease single-use plastic by 2030 from items such as shipping envelopes, cushioning, and filler.

Globally, we produce 300 million tons of plastic every year, 78 percent of which is NOT reclaimed or recycled. Around  8.8 million tons of plastic get dumped into the oceans every year! 700 marine animals are faced with extinction due to the threat that plastic poses to them in the form of entanglement, Pollution, and ingestion. 50 percent of sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs. By 2050, 99 percent of all seabird species will have ingested plastic waste. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, there will be one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and if things go on business as usual, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.

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Read more about how companies like Facebook, Tupperware, Google, Dove,  Budweiser, Carlsberg, and FIJI Water are working towards reducing plastic Pollution. Places around the world like Tel Aviv, California, Baltimore, Scotland, and many more are banning various single-use plastics, and others are coming up with creative ways to recycle and use plastic waste.

There are products you may be using or habits you may have that contribute to plastic Pollution. Learn more about how the use of Teabags, Cotton Swabs, Laundry, Contact Lenses, Glitter, and Sheet Masks pollute our oceans so you can make more informed decisions going forward. There are also numerous simple actions and switches that can help cut plastic out of our lives including, making your own cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, household cleaners, using  mason jars, reusable bags/bottles/straws, and avoiding microbeads!

To learn more about the impact of plastic waste, please read the articles below: 

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