BOSTON – Senator Brian A. Joyce is applauding the work of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture in passing two bills recently (H. 696 and S. 359) that would ban the use of single-use plastic bags at retail stores larger than 4,000 square feet. Joyce has been pushing similar legislation to stop the use of non-compostable plastic bags for a decade.

“I’m happy to see support growing for taking environmentally hazardous and unnecessary product like single-use plastic bags out of our stores,” said Joyce. “Banning the use of these bags will protect our wildlife and help keep our streets, parks, and oceans cleaner.”

Plastic bags pose significant threats to environment and wildlife. Roughly 100,000 animals are killed each year as a result of plastic bags, often because the bags are mistaken for food. Plastic products also litter the planet with each square mile of ocean containing 46,000 pieces of plastic, according to a United Nations study. Additionally, the production of plastic bags requires millions of gallons of petroleum whose manufacturing contributes significantly to carbon dioxide emissions.