Plastic bottles have been plaguing our health, oceans, and environment for generations, and it is time we did something about it. Plastic bottles are not biodegradable, instead, they quickly break down into harmful microplastics. These microplastics commonly pollute waterways and are digested by animals and humans alike. After entering our bodies, they sit in our gut and release harmful elements into our systems. Microplastics are also found in plastic bottles themselves. Business Insider estimates that plastic water bottle drinkers ingest about 86,000 more microplastics per year than non-plastic water bottle drinkers. That's an extra 236 small plastic particles every day!

Plastic bottles are also abundant in our oceans. According to USA Today, there were around 1.6 million plastic bottles in the ocean in 2017, making it the third most common trash found in oceans (behind cigarette buds and plastic wrappers). These bottles decimate ocean life when animals consume their microparticles. 

“But can’t you just recycle plastics?” one may ask. Well recycling plastics, sadly, is not the solution. According to national geographic, 91% of all plastic isn’t even recycled. The other 9% must be melted down in order to be repurposed. This process releases harmful smoke into our atmosphere, and we definitely do not need more problems there. Banning the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in our city would be a huge win for our health and wellness, the environment, and our marine life. So please, join us in this fight to ban single-use plastic water bottles in Fremont.