Our addiction to plastic is a ballooning problem, responsible for growing landfills and over a garbage truck of plastic pollution entering our ocean every minute. This pollution is damaging our ecosystems and endangering public health. We need to stop producing and using so much plastic, or the problem is going to get exponentially worse.
Senate Bill 551, which had its first hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy & Environment on Wednesday, would reduce plastic in three ways. First, the bill will eliminate all plastic film bags at checkout at grocery stores and restaurants starting on January 1, 2027. Second, the bill will phase out single-use plastic toiletries at lodging establishments with more than 50 rooms starting on January 1, 2027 for all lodging establishments starting on January 1, 2028. Finally, the bill will add utensils and condiments to our existing “straws upon request” law starting on July 1, 2026.
“Plastic pollution has become a pressing environmental issue, with ever-increasing production of disposable plastic products outpacing our ability to deal with them,” testified Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director of Environment Oregon. “Senate Bill 551 prioritizes reducing the use and waste of items that are intended for one use, are not accepted in curbside recycling here in Oregon and are destined to be trash after just moments of use, and we urge your support.”
“We can live without these single-use plastics. In fact, we should,” testified Brenna Stevens, campaign associate with OSPIRG. “Nothing we use for one shopping trip or one meal or one shower should pile up in landfills, litter our streets, clutter our cabinets, and pollute our landfills for generations to come.”
You can submit written testimony in support of Senate Bill 551 until 3pm on Friday 2/14, and track the bill’s progress as it moves through the legislature here.
