Starting soon, we hope that everyone in Anne Arundel County will BYOB -- that is, Bring Your Own Bag when shopping. That's the idea behind Bill 19-23, due to be voted on by the Anne Arundel County Council on June 5th.
The Growth Action Network strongly supports the BYOB bill, officially called the Bring Your Own Bag Plastic Reduction Act. We encourage you to support it, and press your Council rep to support it, too.
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Even with its many amendments, the highest and best result of the bill will be to reduce pollution on our roadways, but especially in our waterways. These plastic bags take over 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill, even longer in a waterway, where it is not exposed to sunlight. Even when decomposed, the absorbed toxins continue to pollute landfills and waterways much longer.
Almost as good, though, it brings an environmental mindset to all of us each time we go to the store. Remembering to take reusable bags once or twice a week helps to reinforce our stewardship for the planet, and our responsibility as citizens to protect our landfills and waterways.
The Council will vote on the bill on Monday, June 5th. Speak up now, and let your council rep know you want them to support this bill. You can read the bill here:
And you can see our GAN testimony in favor of BYOB at the May 15th County Council Meeting here: https://youtu.be/dWoqDvby8Tk?t=2498