Ballot summary: Bans the production of virgin plastics for the purpose of packaging as they are bad for environmental health. There are studies on the science behind plastic, and its impact on human health, as well as transitioning to a circular economy with less to no plastic. This petition for a constitutional amendment 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 derived from algae, seaweed, hemp, and mushrooms. However, there are other forms of bioplastic derived from corn and potatoes that can also be used but I find them to be less efficient, less sustainable, and more expensive.
Full ballot: Banning the production of virgin plastics for the purpose of packaging products is important for environmental health as well as increasing state income.
The reason this is a necessity is because the environment has become highly polluted with plastic waste. 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.) Plastic risks the lives of wildlife when ingested. Thousands of fish, birds, turtles, and insects have died mistaking plastic for a viable meal. As larger and stronger animals eat those who have consumed plastic it then goes up the food chain. Humans being at the top of this chain have also been affected with microplastics being found in the umbilical cord between mother and baby, and in human stool samples collected from all around the world. The most alarming part of this information is researchers don’t know exactly how our bodies are affected by this infiltration. But here’s what we know so far, microplastics can alter the shape of human lung cells Other studies have found that microplastics can infiltrate the blood-brain barrier in mice, plastic chemicals have been linked to high cholesterol, heart disease, and damage to brain cells. Meanwhile, research has found as much as 93 percent of bottled water contains plastic particles.
Adding to this growing pool of knowledge is a new analysis of the chemical components in everyday plastics, many of which can leach from plastics under real-world conditions, like reheating your leftovers in the microwave for example. Scientists looked at 34 typical plastic products, such as yogurt containers, kitchen sponges, and drink bottles, and discovered more than 55,000 chemical components within them, eleven of these products are already known to interfere with our metabolism, as so-called "metabolism disruptors." the scientists found one-third of the chemicals in these products caused the development and proliferation of fat cells, far more than the 11 already known to induce such effects.
This petition for a constitutional amendment will help alleviate these problems by creating a new market for post-consumer recycled plastic. Right now, we have an abundance of used plastic but no demand for it. This amendment creates demand by banning all virgin plastic production for the purpose of packaging products in the state of Utah. This creates good-paying local jobs by increasing our number of recycling centers. 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 it is no longer useful. This means at some point the plastics will have to be downcycled. Downcycling 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 pothole resistant and long-lasting. There are tons of different ways you can utilize plastic downstream, but it does require a bit of creativity and appreciation towards the fact that plastic lasts hundreds of years before it starts to degrade.
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 best. For example, plastic is thin and lightweight compared to glass. When shipping things it’s more costly to the environment if it’s wrapped in glass because more CO2 will be emitted when the truck has to carry a heavy load. Aluminum, recycled plastic, or bioplastic are all lightweight and take up less space 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, customers may prefer glass or plastics for things like make-up where you would like to see what you’re buying before you buy it. In 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 still have access to what they want when the product is in distribution. This law does not ban the buying and selling of any plastic product produced in a different state or country. This law is only meant to ban the production of virgin plastics for the purpose of packaging products in the state of Utah. The government should create incentives to encourage bioplastic-producing companies to migrate to Utah in order to receive benefits. An example of an incentive would be grants for any bioplastic or post-consumer recycled plastic product producer to start a business in Utah or migrate to Utah. These Grants should cover at least the startup costs of creating a new manufacturing plant or migrating an existing one. A lot of business owners would love a deal like that so I expect that if this deal were offered multiple companies will take it. To summarize, passing this bill will create more recycling and sanitation jobs, more transportation jobs to collect the recycling and bring it to recycling centers, and manufacturing jobs. Furthermore, human, and environmental health will be greatly improved by this effort.