Bill AB- 1884 to ban plastic straws

Recently California Bill AB- 1884, was proposed by Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon. The bill prevents servers from handing out straws to customers unless they specifically ask for them. Violation of the bill originally resulted in $25-$1,000 fine or six months jail time, but it was amended to remove the penalty

The bill is an attempt to reduce waste and pollution in our world and to cut back on plastic usage. Currently there are already 165 million tons of plastic in the ocean and it’s estimated that eight million tons of plastic trash enter the ocean every year.

Sundari Kendakur, executive director of Anjaleoni Enterprises, tries to eliminate her waste and weighs the pros and cons of future plastic bans. Anjaleoni Enterprises is a board and care facility for the elderly that has seven locations in Fresno.

“Plastic bans  would affect us indirectly,” Kendakur said. “Products will have to be packaged differently, so I expect the cost will go up. Plastic bags are a prime example where we can cut down.  Of course plastic bottles of all kinds and various uses can be changed as well. I guess if it costs money, people will think before they reach for a plastic bag.”

In a tweet on Jan. 25 Calderon clarified his reasoning and purpose for the bill.

“I’d like to clarify that #AB1884 (Straws Upon Request) is (a) NOT a ban; (b) should it become law, it will NOT make it a crime for servers to provide plastic straws. My intention is simply to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of plastic straws on our environment.”

@VirginUnite article today on the plastic waste problem. https://t.co/QR2ElAs6r4 a great read and something that is being heavily researched on at the moment as shown by our #wizdomai dashboards. #accelerate #research #wizdom #ai #plasticfree #plasticfreefriday pic.twitter.com/h9KMMDXhor

— wizdom.ai (@wizdomai) April 20, 2018

In 1997 Captain Charles Moore discovered the North Pacific Garbage Patch, an island formed by broken-down plastic. In an interview with Nell Greenberg, Moore commented on the deterioration of the oceans

“Well, in the near term, it is going to get worse fast,” Moore said. “Our research found 6-to-1 plastic to plankton by weight in 1999. We went back last year (2008) and found 46-to-1 plastic to plankton – the weight had gone up, the volume had gone up, the number of pieces had gone up. Every decade, it’s getting close to 10 times worse.”

Bill AB- 1884 is just one of many bills to limit plastic use and try to lessen pollution and plastic trash. Mark Stone’s bill AB- 319 passed just last month which requires all water bottles to have caps tethered to the bottle by 2020.

“Discarded caps kill wildlife, damage ecosystems, and cost taxpayers millions of dollars to clean up,” Stone said. “I’m pleased that my colleagues have taken the first step toward solving this long-standing problem.”

Recently in Malibu all plastic cutlery and straw were completely banned. The city council voted unanimously on Feb. 26. This is the second of their attempts to keep the beach clean, the first of which is a ban on plastic bags and styrofoam. Manhattan beach and Santa Cruz have also banned disposable plastics.

Every day 500 million plastic straws are used, and although Calderon is trying to make all restaurants reduce plastic there are already restaurants that do this voluntarily. The Last Plastic Straw is a movement founded by Jackie Nunez which encourages restaurants and people to give up using plastic straws.

“The Last Plastic Straw strives to educate the public about the absurdity of single use plastic, its effects on our health, our environment, and our oceans. We aim to eliminate from the source, the use of single-use plastic.”

Kendakur also believes that there could be more steps taken by the government to eliminate plastic.

“The government has already started locally by requiring stores to charge for bags.  I seldom get these bags. I take my own bags or I buy the cloth bags they sell. But I think they should totally eliminate plastic bags in grocery stores.”

For Bill AB- 1884 to pass it needs to be approved by the California Senate and State Assembly, and then if approved it will go to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk for approval. Calderon predicts that the bill will reach Gov. Brown’s desk within the next two months.

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