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While some other states are passing laws and finding eco-friendly alternatives to reduce plastic waste, South Dakota is moving in the opposite direction.
On Tuesday, the South Dakota Senate Commerce and Energy Committee approved a bill that would prohibit any ban on plastic straws, beverage containers, packaging or bags in the state.
The bill, which now advances to the full Senate, was sponsored by Republican Senator John Wiik. He believes cities in South Dakota shouldn’t ban plastic “auxiliary containers” because the state is basically one large, “spread-out small town.”
“We have to realize that as small towns are struggling to keep retail thriving, we’re seeing people driving farther and farther to do basic shopping for groceries,” Wiik said on his legislative blog. “I don’t expect hockey parents from Pierre to know if Watertown or Mitchell has a ban on ‘auxiliary containers,’ and I don’t believe that people who live in areas near big towns should have those decisions made for them.”
He added that […]
I love my reusable shopping bags, but banning single use plastic doesn’t come close to solving the problem of plastics in our oceans. Most of the plastic in the ocean comes from the waterways of developing countries that don’t have waste management/recycling systems. To add to the problem, a lot of the recycled plastics from the US get shipped to developing countries for sorting, and who knows what percent of that ends up in the ocean. A little research into this will make it clear that banning single use plastic won’t solve the problem, and shaming a state that goes against such a ban is also not a helpful approach.