Two pieces of legislation have caught the eye and advocacy of our Surfrider Chapters in Oregon this session, both offering opportunities to make some decent progress for our ongoing Rise Above Plastics initiative. First up is HB 3478, currently on the house floor for it’s third reading aims to phase out the use of plastic microbeads, which are becoming ubiquitous in many personal care products like toothpastes, cosmetics and facial scrubs. Designed to be washed down the drain, these plastic particles are not removed from most wastewater treatment plants and ultimately end up polluting our waterways and oceans. Next up is HB 2762, which requires school districts to eliminate use of polystyrene foam plates, trays and other food containers in school meal service. Initiated by students, this is an awesome aim to remove some of the worst and least recyclable trash from our waste stream and has some of our youth clubs fired up to visit Salem!
HB 3478
So you haven’t heard of plastic microbeads? Odds are that you’ve scrubbed them on your face, stuck them in your mouth and washed them down the drain without ever even knowing it. Look close at your facial scrub or toothpaste ingredients, chances are that if you use an “exfoliating” scrub or a “whitening” toothpaste, you’ll find Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polymethyl methacrylate (PPMA) or Nylon on the list…yes, you’ve been sticking that in your mouth or rubbing on your face, yuck! And beyond the gross factor, this is becoming an extensive waste management and concerning marine debris issue.
The reality is though that this bill was actually originally industry-driven and at least 15 bills are currently pending legislation across the U.S.. While environmentalists have been raising greater awareness and getting many companies to voluntarily eliminate this plastic polluter in their products for a few years, the bills introduced across the country by the industries’ lobbyist have been filled with loopholes. Consequently, we’ve been working across the country with partners like Story of Stuff Project, state-by-state, to track these bills, eliminate loopholes and improve the true intent of the legislation. For us in Oregon, we’re on our way to the Senate with some favorable amendments to the bill, but a little more work to be done. Read Oregon Chapters' committee hearing testimony, we’re currently supporting -6 amendments with some minor tweaks.
HB 2762
When a bunch of school kids get band together and say no more to this ridiculous polystyrene waste stream at our schools, Representative Nosse listened and so was drafted HB 2762. Polystyrene is the largest source of marine litter worldwide and responsible for excretion of benzene into the food it comes in contact.
Portland was ahead of the game, banning it’s use in the food service industry in 1989, but alas our schools across the state, still throw away thousands of pounds a day of what the Environmental Protection Agency reports as the 5th highest source of hazardous waste in the world. The bill has caught the attention of many youth in schools across Oregon, including our Surfrider Bandon Youth Club, who’ve been working on a “Loam not Foam” campaign at their school since this past fall. We’re excited to bring some of these kids to the Capitol to talk with their Senators and formerly provide testimony at the next hearing, scheduled for May 14th…stay tuned!
