Plastics Problem

As a UCSB employee at the Tenaya Market and Eatery, I was shocked by how many items we had to throw away that had previously been recyclable. This forced me to consider other actions that should be taken to limit waste in our community.

As a café, we are not immune to using plastics for a few minutes before throwing them away to pollute our world for centuries to come. As a campus on the beach, we are all too aware of plastics ending up on our beaches and in our oceans. We need to eliminate single-use plastics to save our marine life and keep our beautiful beaches clean.

Fortunately, there are two bills in the California State Legislature, SB54 and AB1080, ready to tackle this problem. Both bills would limit single-use plastic packaging, while increasing the use of compostable materials and recyclable plastics.

Governor Newsom should be proud to sign this commitment to protect our oceans with the legacy of the California plastic bag ban and his own commitment to the future of our environment.