Plastic pollution is a pertinent issue in todays society. The consumption of "disposable" plastics such as plastic bags, is the number one contributor to plastic pollution. This is why we need your signature of support to place a charge of no less than 5 cents paid by the customer on all single-use plastic bags in the Town of Berryville, in Clarke County, Virginia. Over 380 billion plastic bags and wraps are used by the United States every year. The scary part is that these bags which are used briefly, stay in our landfills forever. 93% of all plastic ends up in our landfills, only 3% of plastics get properly recycled, and plastics are forever. Even if a plastic container says it is "biodegradable" it just breaks down into smaller plastic bits that poison our soil, water, and wild life. Over 1 billion seabirds and mammals die every year from ingesting marine debris, which is mostly made of plastic. Plastics aren't just polluting our oceans; they are also polluting our local water source. The Shenandoah River, which runs through our county, was named one of the most endangered rivers in the nation in 2006, and clean up efforts that started in 2005 have already removed 54,230 pounds of trash out of our river, but there is still a long way to go. By placing a charge on single-use a.k.a. disposable bags in our town, we are hoping to deter consumers from using them, and encourage consumers to use canvas bags or other eco-friendly and sustainable options while shopping. Washington D.C. passed a bag fee of 5 cents and estimated a range of bag use down by 50%-80%! Please sign our petition to show your support as we work with our local government to help reduce disposable plastic bag usage.

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