Statement from Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan in Support of the Plastic Waste Reduction Act in the RI General Assembly

Apr 19, 2018 | 0 comments

Tonight, I introduced a resolution in support of Senator Miller and Representative Carol Hagan McEntee’s Plastic Waste Reduction Act that has been introduced in the General Assembly.  Reducing our dependence on single-use plastic bags is vital to keeping our oceans safe, and our landfills free of single-use bags that are only used for 12 minutes, but last 1000 years.

Single-use plastic bags are not just destroying the environment, but they also cost the cities across the great state of Rhode Island millions annually in recycling contamination fees, and other financial burdens. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation sees nearly 60 tons of plastic bags in their facility every year.  These are just some of the reasons why I’m supporting Senator Miller and Representative Thomas Winfield’s bill and why I introduced legislation to ban single-use plastic bags in Providence.

After much discussion with my colleagues on the City Council, Mayor Elorza, and meetings with stakeholders, and community groups I will be reintroducing the ordinance in the near future. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s important.

– Jo-Ann Ryan, Majority Whip, Providence City Council

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