HR1139 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1139 LRB099 21332 MST 47124 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Paper and plastic disposable bags are distributed extensively throughout our society and are typically disposed of after their initial use; and

WHEREAS, The rate of recycling of paper and plastic disposable bags is extremely low, accounting for only 1-3% of plastic bags and only 13-15% of paper bags; and

WHEREAS, Paper and plastic disposable bags consume valuable natural resources in their production, increase waste generation, and contribute to litter; and

WHEREAS, The impact of single-use retail plastic and paper bags imposes a high cost on citizens in terms of recycling, landfill space, sewer cleanup costs, and environmental damage; and

WHEREAS, One million birds and 100,000 mammals are killed annually from plastic in our environment; and

WHEREAS, Improper disposal results in plastic bags becoming windblown through our streets and parks, clogging our storm drains and sewers and degrading our soils and waterways; and

WHEREAS, Those plastic bags that are blown or washed into our waterways may threaten the lives of avian and marine species through entanglement, choking, and toxicity; and

WHEREAS, Plastic bags, when landfilled, do not biodegrade and remain intact for many decades; those that remain in the environment photo-degrade into very small particles that may be consumed by wildlife, diminishing and contaminating a part of our food chain; and

WHEREAS, Locally, plastic bags must be screened out of yard waste collections; they contaminate food scrap composting facilities and have jammed the mechanical parts of recycling balers and sewage treatment systems; and

WHEREAS, Single use plastics such as Styrofoam, clamshell containers, and plastic bags, are unsustainable products, manufactured from petroleum and natural gas; the energy used in the production and transportation of plastic bags results in unnecessary natural resource consumption and increased greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, The impacts of plastic bag use and pollution have ignited a global movement to dramatically reduce the amount of disposable plastic bags distributed; and

WHEREAS, There are successful plastic bag recycling programs that exist throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, Convenient locations for the collection of plastic bags to be recycled needs to be established; and

WHEREAS, Retail store employee awareness initiatives to reduce wasteful bagging practices needs to be increased; and

WHEREAS, A program needs to be established in order to promote the recycling of plastic and paper bags and the use of reusable bags; and

WHEREAS, A unified and coordinated education/advocacy/recycling program of this nature will reflect a meaningful and positive step forward towards reducing litter and plastic bag waste; and

WHEREAS, Many states have successfully enacted ordinances banning or restricting the use of plastic bags; and

WHEREAS, These measures will help educate schools that need to know about recycling waste; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare the first Friday of May 2016 as "Thin Film Friday"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That "Thin Film Friday" is established in the State of Illinois as an effort to reclaim used thin-film plastic bags and to encourage consumers to use reusable bags.