https://forms.gle/C6Qg8UgraceDmyJm8

Dear Members of the Baltimore City Council:

I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of Council Bill 19-0401: Comprehensive Bag Reduction, sponsored by Councilman Bill Henry.  This legislation will ban plastic bags which are a huge blight on our community.  

Plastic bags are ubiquitous, insidious pollution.  They litter our highways, are blown by the wind, and get caught in trees.  They enter creeks and streams where the current carries them to rivers and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay into the ocean.  They clog storm drains, and once in our waterways are mistaken for food by wildlife.  Plastic bags cannot be recycled curbside, but are often placed in bins - either contaminating the haul and increasing costs, or contaminating our communities when they blow out of a bin and become litter.

As the owner or manager of a business, I support this ban. The per-bag cost for paper bags ranges from 12 cents and 20 cents, and is a cost that can  be absorbed by my business given the environmental and public health costs associated with plastic bag use and pollution, the cost to continually cleanup litter, as well as impacts to tourism, recreation and community investment caused by trash - all of which can affect my business.  In addition, I will also have the opportunity to sell branded, re-usable bags, which will both help the environment and provide a marketing opportunity.  

I call on you to vote in favor of this legislation.  Support the Baltimore Bag Bill to reduce pollution and improve the health of neighborhoods and waterways across the city.

Sincerely,