[B]URLINGTON – More than 50 activists marched up Church Street Thursday, wearing T-shirts, holding signs and waving banners, all with the same message: stop single use plastics.
The activists, canvassers with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, are urging Gov. Phil Scott to sign legislation banning single use plastics in Vermont, which is set to reach Scott’s desk later today.
The bill, S.113, easily passed both the House (120-24) and the Senate (30-0). Its opposition came from Republicans who saw the measure as being “another jab” at the business community in Vermont. Its proponents, meanwhile, see the measure as an important step toward combating climate change — noting that single-use plastics have a useful life of just 15 minutes, but can last in the environment for more than 500 years.
Included in the bill are provisions that would ban the distribution of plastic bags, plastic drink stirrers, and expanded polystyrene food service products, and make straws available only upon request.
Some cities and towns, like Brattleboro, have already moved forward on bans of their owns while they wait for the state to move forward on laws of its own.
Sen. Chris Bray, D-Addison, and Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury, who helped push the legislation in their respective chambers, spoke about the bill.
“It’s just like banning billboards,” Sheldon said. “It’s a sign to visitors that Vermont cares about the environment.”
Paul Burns, executive director of VPIRG, said there’s been a big social media push by the plastic bag and polystyrene industries to get the governor to veto the ban.
“Can’t believe he would veto, but we’re taking nothing for granted,” Burns said by email.
Scott has signaled support for the ban.
“It seems as though the retailers have no problems with this bill,” Scott told reporters Thursday.
“We’ll go through it to make it sure it technically works, but I have no reason to be believe there will be any veto on the table for that one,” Scott said.
The activists stood outside of Ben & Jerry’s — which they commended as being a global leader in the movement to end single-use plastics. But Chris Miller, the company’s global activism strategy manager, said Ben & Jerry’s is still in the early stages — having phased out only the company’s plastic spoons and straws.
“It’s an important first step,” Miller said. “If I’m perfectly honest with you, it’s incredibly impactful, but it’s low-hanging fruit.”
The company is now trying to find solutions to rid their products of plastic cups and lids, which make up the biggest piece of their plastic footprint. But Miller said this part is more difficult, because of the vapor barrier required to keep ice cream in paper containers.
“The important part is let’s move now on the things we know that we can do while we’re working on things that are harder,” Miller said.
Maeve Power, a VPIRG canvasser, said they’ve already talked to thousands of Vermonters about this issue, and plan to talk to tens of thousands more by the end of the summer.
“In 2055, I’m going to be 60 years old. I’ll also be the same age as Phil Scott is right now,” Power said. “And if we don’t make a change, research shows that there’s going to be more plastic in the ocean than fish by then. That that is not only terrifying, it’s unacceptable.”
The law would be the strongest plastic ban in the country, according to Jen Duggan, director of the Conservation Law Foundation Vermont.
“If we don’t deal with our plastic habit, we have no hope of avoiding the catastrophic consequences of climate change,” Duggan said.
Once Scott receives the bill, he has five days to either sign or veto the legislation. Lawmakers at the rally said they hope to see a signature on the bill within the next day or two. If passed, it will go into effect in July of 2020, to give businesses enough time to make the switch.
“Governor Scott,” Duggan said, “Let’s put this law on the books.”
Reporter Xander Landen contributed to this report.
