'Zero Waste PA' Bills Would Limit Straws, Single Use Plastics

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania introduced a package of bills in the legislature this week that would limit the use of plastics around the state while implementing a number of eco-friendly practices.

The sweeping series of proposed laws is collectively called "Zero Waste PA." It features thirteen different pieces of legislation, all oriented toward mitigating the "throwaway society" created by practices that are environmentally harmful and unsustainable.

“We can no longer ignore the growing waste problem that is threatening our environment," State Rep. Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery) said in announcing the legislation. "By encouraging the use of more naturally biodegradable materials, addressing issues with the way we recycle, and finding ways to support environmentally friendly practices, we can help preserve our planet for future generations."

Two of the bills which, if passed, would have a noticeable impact on Pennsylvanians: the bill from Rep. Briggs prohibiting food establishments from using polystryene to-go containers, and a proposal from Rep. Mary Jo Daley that would prohibit establishments from offering plastic straws, unless a customer asks for one.

One-use containers cause water pollution, air pollution via incinerators, and neighborhood pollution as litter, officials said.

"Nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute our environment, neighborhoods, rivers and oceans for centuries to come," PennEnvironment Executive Director David Masur said in a statement supporting the legislation.

Plastic bags have been banned at the municipal level in Pennsylvania, with Narberth in Montgomery County taking the lead.

Support for these measures is not universal. There was pushback in the Narberth case from those who said it represented government overreach. Meanwhile, ten states around the country have pre-emptively passed legislation that would prohibit a ban on plastics.

Other measures proposed in this slate of bills on Wednesday include the following:

• Dissuading litterers and illegal dumpers by increasing the fines and penalties for those caught illegally throwing away their garbage. (Rep. Donna Bullock)
• Increasing the disposal fee for municipal waste landfills from $4 per ton to $8 per ton to help support important conservation and environmental protection programs. (Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler)
• Increasing the recycling fee that landfill operators pay from $2 per ton to $5 per ton on waste received at their landfills, the first increase in 30 years. (Rep. Mary Isaacson)
• Authorizing counties that have recycling programs to collect a recycling and waste management fee of up to $4 per ton, to be used to create and maintain new or existing recycling programs, programs to clean up illegal dumping sites or litter, and/or programs for alternative energy. (Rep. Patty Kim)
• Significantly diverting organic waste from our landfills and incinerators and spurring a market for organic waste composting (Rep. Danielle Friel Otten)
• Establishing a statewide cigarette filter upcycling initiative, where a 20-cent, partially reimbursed deposit on each pack of cigarettes sold in Pennsylvania would be used for collection centers and safe reuse. (Rep. Chris Rabb)
• Ensuring that producers of plastic packaging take responsibility for the decisions they make by requiring that they cannot sell or distribute plastic packaging in Pennsylvania unless they are part of a recycling program to take it back. (Rep. Melissa Shusterman)
• Providing for a fee of two cents on each non-reusable plastic bag used by purchasers of consumer goods at retail establishments grossing over $1 million annually to support recycling. (Rep. Brian Sims and Rep. Jared Solomon)
• Creating a 5-cent beverage bottle and can deposit program in Pennsylvania. (Rep. Wendy Ullman)
• Require all new state buildings, as well as those being renovated, to install water bottle filling stations. (Rep. Perry Warren)
• Overhauling the state's electronic waste recycling law by using measures implemented in other states. (Rep. Mike Zabel)