Dear Editor,
I grew up visiting polluted Southern California beaches and can’t remember a single day trip searching for shells in which we weren’t able to find weathered remnants of foam cups.
Moving to the Pacific Northwest, the thing I was most excited for was the pristine coastline and wildlife. So far, I’m awestruck with the beauty, but still can’t seem to escape the trash.
Our waste is killing our wildlife and littering our coast. Our economy encourages us to make, use and throw things away as fast as possible. Most of us don’t even think twice about grabbing coffee in a foam cup, or our favorite takeout in a foam container.
Everyday, Americans throw out about 70 million foam cups. Of these, about one-third end up in our rivers, lakes, and eventually the ocean.
To protect our wildlife, our waterways, and the pristine natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, we need to dramatically reduce our plastic waste. We can do that by leading the way with a ban on foam cups and takeout containers here in Oregon. As a coastal Senator, Arnie Roblan has the opportunity to cast a deciding vote to pass the first statewide polystyrene-foam ban of the west coast.
Nicole Walter
when it starts to rain all I can get from Iga is a paper bag.I have a 50/50 chance of making it to my truck without mt groceries hitting the ground.As I drive home all I see is progressives picking up their dog shit with PLASTIC bags.So when did your dog shit become more important then my groceries.I reuse my plastic grocery bags several times.How often do you reuse your plastic dog shit bags?I would love to see a progressive trying to pick up their dog shit with a wet paper bag.Let me know how that works out for you.