Letter to the Editor: Plastic bags continue to be a big problem

Jul 10, 2023

A local business in our area recently completed a $4 million project to install solar panels on its property to help supply power to the business.

According to a spokesperson, "the store has won several awards for their dedication to staying green."

I find it interesting that this "award-winning green business" is among our region's worst offenders when it comes to plastic bag pollution in our environment, doling out plastic grocery bags by the millions, doubling bags at customer request, placing two or three items into bags that could easily hold many times that amount, and in some cases refusing to handle the bags of customers who bring their own shopping bags to the checkout.

Supposedly, the used plastic bags are being recycled, but there is little evidence to support this claim. Investigators recently conducted a study in which tracking devices were placed into plastic grocery bags, which were then placed into recycling containers at various businesses around the nation. The vast majority of the trackers were subsequently traced to landfills and other waste management facilities, with no recycling of plastic bags occurring at any of these facilities. See: We put dozens of trackers in plastic bags for recycling. Many were trashed. - ABC News (go.com)

We now have microplastics contaminating our soil, food, and water, causing damage to the environment, human health, and the biodiversity of our planet. Most recently, microplastics were discovered in Arctic Sea ice, and there is no amount of so-called "green energy" that will be able to fix that.

Juliet Perrin

Penn Forest Twp.