The City of Lancaster is taking some baby steps towards a single-use plastic bag ban so let's make some noise and let them know we BELIEVE in a sustainable future for Lancaster and WANT a sustainable future for everyone!  SIGN OUR PETITION TODAY!

The Issue
Plastic is all around us. Our society has become dependent on the convenience of single-use plastics, and the use and disposal of these plastics have real environmental consequences - on water, soil, animal life, and even human life. 

Each year, Lancaster City businesses hand out approximately 17 million single-use plastic shopping bags—enough to stretch all the way to San Francisco.  On average, each single-use plastic bag is thrown away within 12 minutes of leaving a store. Countless plastic forks, knives, spoons and straws are handed out by Lancaster City businesses each year—even when customers do not request nor want them–also landing in the trash within minutes or hours.

Unlike plastic bottles that can be placed in curbside recycling bins, Lancaster City does not provide curbside recycling of single-use plastic shopping bags, straws, or utensils, so they are either incinerated— releasing toxic chemicals into the air we breathe—or they end up in landfills where they break down into dangerous microplastics and nanoplastics that leach into soils, waters, and, ultimately, our bodies through the food we eat and the water we drink.

And what happens in Lancaster City does not stay in Lancaster City. Plastic waste and its harmful chemicals are carried by the Conestoga, Susquehanna, and other waterways on to the Chesapeake, spreading harmful pollution to millions of people living up and down the East Coast.

We recognize some plastics play important roles in our modern society. For example, the use of plastic in medicine controls contamination and infection. However, we are all capable of avoiding most single-use plastics. We all have the ability to reduce the colossal amounts of plastic we collectively generate.

What can you do to stop dangerous and unsightly plastic pollution in and around Lancaster City?

The people of Lancaster City and its neighboring communities have a history of independent thinking, taking action for positive change, and working together to find creative solutions to big challenges. Many individuals and businesses have already taken steps to reduce the amount of plastics in their homes and establishments. Having been invented less than a century ago, we can find a way back to relying less on plastics in order to better protect our Earth and ourselves. 

Lancaster City now has the opportunity to join more than 30 Pennsylvania cities, townships, and boroughs that have taken action to reduce harmful plastic waste in their communities.

PETITION: As part of this vibrant community, we call upon the Lancaster City Council to pass legislation discontinuing the use of single-use plastic shopping bags by businesses, as well as stopping the distribution of plastic utensils and straws unless requested by the customer, so we can preserve the land, waters, and life we love.

By signing this petition, you are part of sending a powerful signal to our local City Council. 

Additionally, as consumers in Lancaster, we commit to:

• Building a more resilient and sustainable future for us all
• Bringing our own reusable bags when we patronize businesses
• Declining plastic utensils and straws when ordering take-out food
• Educating ourselves about how we can further reduce plastic pollution in our homes and our community

As representatives of Lancaster businesses, we will demonstrate our support for this legislation by committing to:

• Building a more resilient and sustainable future for us all
• Eliminating single-use plastic bags at checkout
• Selling reusable bags in our establishments
• Asking customers first before handing out plastic utensils and straws
• Finding additional ways to reduce unnecessary plastic waste in our businesses and our community

To learn more visit www.RedRoseReuses.org