Ban the Bag in Aliso Viejo

Single-use plastic bags and foam food ware represent two of the greatest environmental catastrophes of our generation.  It is estimated that 60-80% of all debris in the ocean is plastic, and 80% of plastic in the ocean is land-based. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down at sea and most types never truly biodegrade. As a result, marine animals often get entangled in the debris or mistake it for food.

Around 100 billion plastic checkout bags are used each year in the United States, requiring ever-increasing demands on our finite natural resources. Sadly, 12% or less of these bags are recycled each year and cities, counties, and non-profit organizations must pay millions each year to clean up plastic litter.

Plastics, especially expanded polystyrene foam, easily break into small pieces which are difficult to clean up off our beaches. It is consumed by wildlife and has also been linked to toxins and carcinogens which can leach out from the product.

Please ask the Aliso Viejo City Council to be a leader in Orange County  by considering and passing a ban on plastic bags and expanded polystyrene foam foodware.  Aliso Viejo can be another Orange County city to do the right thing.  Dana Point and Laguna Beach have done it, now its Aliso Viejo's turn!