Dear Mayor Marty Walsh,

We Bostonians, stand with Calida, Clare and Eleanor in asking you to support the Single Use Plastic Bag Ban in Boston. Just like them, we are disappointed to hear that you did not support the bag ban law that was recently proposed in the City Council. Delaying the ban is not a reasonable solution. Boston is ready now!

Cities and countries around the world from Cambridge to Cork to Cameroon have banned single use plastic bags. If Boston is supposed to be a "shining star" and a world class city, we must take action! We are falling behind. Right now our star on the map is covered with plastic bags. If you walk around the city, you’ll see plastic bags everywhere: on the sidewalks, trees, bushes, beaches, in the sewers, storm drains, rivers, and waterways. They are all over our neighborhoods. It’s disgusting!

Once a plastic bag is made, it never goes away. If it goes in the trash, it sits in a landfill that the city pays for. If someone tries to recycle it, it blocks the recycling machines and the workers are getting hurt trying to pull them out. The only people who are winning with this situation are the plastic bag makers!

We are a port city with a rich history that should be honored. Our fisheries and aquatic life need to be protected from plastics that get into our seafood and kill wildlife. Tourists who come to the city could be given a Boston reusable bag while they visit and then bring it home to continue to use it with pride. We can be known as a leader in protecting the planet- if you take action and support the will of the people and the request of us kids!

Please support the bag ban that Councilors O’Malley and Wu have created NOW.

We want to live in a cleaner, greener city not just for our future grandkids but for us and all the kids of Boston NOW, and not just for some kids- depending on where they live- but all kids throughout our city. Please Mayor Walsh, don’t let us down.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Calida B.(11), Clare A. (11), and Eleanor P. (10)

CC: The Dorchester Reporter