Ballot summary: Bans the production of virgin plastics as they are bad for environmental health. For more information on the science behind plastic it’s impact on human health as well as transitioning to a circular economy with less to no plastic check out this link https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721020375 This will create local jobs by increasing our recycling centers and allowing our state to embrace alternatives like; recycled plastic products or other materials like glass, cardboard, silicone, wood, straw, metal, biodegradable plastics which are plastics derived from plant based materials and can biodegrade within 5 years or less also known as bioplastics. Based on my research it seems the most cost effective and sustainable sources for bioplastics are from algae, seaweed, hemp, and mushrooms. However, there are other forms of bioplastic derived from corn and potatoes that can also be used I just find them to be less efficient, less sustainable and more expensive. 
 
Full ballot: Banning the production of virgin plastics is important for environmental health as well as increasing state income. 
 
The environment has become polluted with plastic waste both on land and sea. Which risks the lives of wildlife when ingested. It also affects small phytoplankton and other creatures like seaweed that depend on sunlight to suck out CO2. This pollution has gone unchecked for so long that we have multiple gyres of plastic some as large as 617,763.5 square miles in area. (That’s twice the size of Texas.) The ocean is the worlds most effective carbon sink and it relies on photosynthesizing creatures in order to be effective. If we as a species allow the gyres to worsen it will make it impossible for these creatures to reach the light beyond the litter in order to photosynthesize. If that happens we risk losing our carbon sink which means that climate change as a whole will worsen much quicker then it already is and their absence will affect the entire food chain which could cripple the fishing industry.
 
To prevent that outcome this constitutional amendment will create a whole new market for post-consumer recycled plastic. Right now we have an abundance of plastic but no demand for it. This amendment creates demand by banning all virgin plastic production. Which creates good paying local jobs by increasing our recycling centers and allowing our state rely more on recycled plastic products or other plastic alternatives. Something to know about plastic is that it is not infinitely recyclable meaning one plastic product can only be recycled ten times or less before its completely broken down. Which means some of the plastics will have to be down cycled.  Which means the plastics will have to be reused in a way that can’t be undone. An example is grabbing a large amount of plastic and metal cans and compressing them into bricks which could be used to build sturdy fire resistant homes. Another, example is melting the plastic down and mixing it with cement to create roads that are pot hole resistant and long lasting. There are tons of different ways you can utilize plastic down stream but it does require a bit of creativity and appreciation towards the fact that plastic lasts hundreds of years. 

The American market and customers will still have plenty of options for how their products are held on the shelves listed in the ballot summary. Businesses will have the option to consider which of the options listed will suit the needs of their customers or logistics. Example plastic is lightweight compared to glass. Plus glass is thicker than plastic so when shipping things it’s more costly to the environment if it’s wrapped in glass because of the CO2 involved in transit. Aluminum, recycled plastic or bioplastic are also lightweight and takes up less space so it would be less damaging in transit and can possibly hold more items per truck which means fewer trucks and less CO2. Then you can consider the customer's personal preference some would prefer to use glass some prefer to use plastic others don’t mind either way. In terms of those who don’t mind using aluminum is perfect for things that need to be kept at a specific temperature or any item that customers don’t need to see the contents of. For example, we all know what a stick of deodorant looks like so that doesn’t need to be wrapped in plastic as a lot of plastics are translucent. However, I would prefer glass or plastics for things like make up where you would like to see what your buying before you buy it. Situations like that you can use glass, bioplastics made from mushrooms, seaweed, and algae or recycled plastics. But there’s also the option to relocate. If a company doesn’t want to adapt to the law and chooses to relocate to a plastic friendly state that is fine because customers will have access to what they want. This law does not ban the buying and selling of any plastic produced in a different state or country.  This law is only meant to ban the production of virgin plastics in the state of Florida. However, to prevent businesses from leaving or encourage new ones to flock. Create incentives to encourage businesses to stay. 

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