Single-use plastic bags could soon become less common in New Mexico if a House bill proves successful.
Source NM reported that while places such as Las Cruces, Silver City, and Santa Fe have already banned many single-use plastic bags, the state as a whole could soon follow suit.
State Rep. Tara Lujan is leading the charge. The bill passed the state House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee and is set to be put before the state House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
As part of the proposal, stores would charge 10 cents for paper bags, with 30% of the fee going to the store and the rest going toward litter reduction and outreach. If municipalities don't opt in to the program, the remaining 7 cents will be redirected to the New Mexico Environment Department.
"This bill would drastically reduce the amount of litter in the Land of Enchantment by banning single-use plastic bags with some common sense exceptions," Lujan said.
Critics of the proposed ban say plastic bags are important for some consumers and vendors, but exemptions exist for takeout food, separating food for sanitary reasons, prescription drugs, and dry cleaning, according to Source NM.
Plastic bags are detrimental to the environment in several ways. They don't break down naturally for decades — if ever — and instead break up into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming microplastics, which are ubiquitous worldwide. These tiny contaminants have been found in drinking water, food, and the air, and they've been linked to a number of human health conditions.
Meanwhile, while they remain fully intact, these bags can have serious negative impacts on wild animals. For example, an autopsy of a baby sperm whale that washed up on a beach in St. Augustine, Florida, revealed a plastic bag in the creature's stomach.
Single-use plastics are also typically made from petrochemicals, damaging the planet through the extraction of these materials and creating planet-warming gases during the manufacturing process.
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Should plastic grocery bags be banned nationwide? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 👍 Even when sent for recycling, these bags can cause trouble. According to a fiscal impact report detailed by Source NM regarding the proposed bill, they can get caught up in machinery, shutting down recycling operations for hours and creating worker hazards in removal efforts. The report estimated that recycling facilities could save up to $3.8 million a year following the plastic bag ban.
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Thankfully, a number of long-lasting, sustainably produced options are available. These include cloth totes and bags made from plant-based materials.
"This has been on the table for quite a while, if you will, and communities have had the opportunity to opt in," Lujan said when asked why municipalities and counties will have little time to make decisions regarding the proposed ban. "We're at a critical place where we need to take the action, and that's what this bill delivers."
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