Plastic bag ban could clean harbor

July 21, 2008

The bill before the Baltimore City Council that would ban plastic bags at grocery stores and retail chains is an opportunity to remove one of the worst pollution offenders from the streams and storm drains that go directly to the harbor and the Chesapeake Bay ("City weighs banning plastic grocery bags," July 16).

These bags and other kinds of trash also contribute to high levels of bacteria in the water.

As the director of the Herring Run Watershed Association, I see first-hand the impact of these bags, Styrofoam food containers, and plastic bottles on Baltimore's waterways.

The Herring Run and other streams are frequently festooned with shredded bags and filled with floating litter.

Indeed, this year in Baltimore the 864 participants in Baltimore's Project Clean Stream retrieved more than 37,725 pounds of such items.

While public education is clearly needed, and is being done by local watershed organizations and the city's Cleaner Greener campaign, getting plastic bags out of the waste stream is another important thing we can do.

Remembering to carry a reusable bag takes a little training but is a good way to reduce our reliance on plastic bags.

Mary Sloan Roby

Baltimore

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Plastic bag ban could clean harbor

Related topic galleries: Chesapeake Bay, Environmental Cleanup

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