Plastic waste, a large part of it from plastic bags, is a HUGE global problem. Not only do they cause landfills to fill up at an alarming rate, but a lot of them end up in the oceans. This, as most of us already know, pollutes an already fragile oceanic ecosystem, that we as humans rely on maybe a little too much. Plastic bags can take up to 20 years to decompose. According to https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/, more than 1 million plastic bags are used every minute, and 1 plastic bag has the average "working life" of only 15 minutes. And they keep getting produced, which digs us deeper and deeper into an already gigantic hole.

The solution takes everybody because as long as the citizens don't take a stand neither will governments. If we don't do something about this problem it will eventually, undoubtedly, get completely out of hand, if it hasn't already. Having a place to recycle plastic bags in Utah although not completely solving the problem, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Another goal that I hope to achieve with this petition is to help raise more awareness about actually recycling plastic bags, (or stop using them completely when possible) and to encourage everybody to please do so. I also encourage everybody who reads this to try and pull for a change regarding this issue in their own state or country, because while it is important for Utah to make a change, Utah can not do it on its own. We are all in this together whether we want to or not, so lets all band together and be a part of the solution, not the problem.