Reduce Plastic Pollution in Maryland

Surfrider’s Annapolis and Ocean City Chapters---along with our student-led Maryland Clubs-- are working to reduce plastic pollution in Maryland by passing “Skip the Stuff” legislation.

Such legislation flips the norm and will change customer expectations for restaurant takeout and delivery orders. Under Skip the Stuff, instead of expecting to receive extra items like utensils and condiments, customers will expect to not receive those items unless they specifically request them.

In addition to protecting our ocean and waterways against plastic pollution, such a bill will save restaurants money. Nationally, restaurants spend about $20 billion per year on such disposable items. A study in Red Bank, NJ, found that restaurants implementing Skip the Stuff sent 94% less “stuff” out the door, saving money and reducing waste.

Surfrider Chapters and Clubs in Maryland host a lot of beach cleanups, and the single-use plastic items addressed in this bill are among the most commonly found and expensive to clean up. One trillion disposable foodware items are used in the U.S. each year, generating 9 million tons of waste. Only 5-6% of plastic waste is actually recycled, and it is most often turned into products or materials of lesser value (downcycled).

Reducing plastic waste is an environmental justice issue. Nearly 80% of waste incinerators are located in low-income communities and/or communities of color, and the pollutants produced by incinerating plastic have toxic effects when inhaled. 

Plastic litter exacerbates the plastic pollution human health crisis; plastic particles have been found in drinking water, food, human bodies, and practically every inch of the globe. Plastic is a petroleum-based product that degrades very slowly in the natural environment, contains toxic additives, and contributes to the climate crisis.

This bill also honors customer choice. Nearly all – 98% – of online restaurant takeout and delivery orders are eaten at home or in an office, where reusable utensils are available and preferred. Most Maryland residents have a drawer crammed with plastic utensils, chopsticks, and ketchup and mustard packets, which are often included with a meal, even when specifically requested not to be.

Join us and send a quick message to your elected officials using our action alert link (coming soon).

PHOTO CREDITS

Header: brian-yurasits-unsplash