Say NO to plastic bags!
Major grocery stores
Why This Petition is Necessary:
New Hampshire grocery stores distribute millions of single-use plastic bags annually, with each bag being used for an average of only 12 minutes but persisting in our environment for up to 1,000 years.
Less than 9% of all plastics get recycled.
The other 91% ends up in our oceans, streams, lakes, farms, forests, landfills, and incinerators, where they break down into “microplastics.” Plastics don’t decompose.
Studies show microplastics in our lungs, liver, heart, and brain increase our chances of heart attack, stroke, or death.
Scientists from the Green Mt. Conservation Group in Carroll County, NH, have discovered microplastics in well-water, backyard snow, and every river and stream sampled since 2022.
Towns and taxpayers save money, significantly decreasing waste management costs when single-use plastic bags are eliminated from landfills.
At recycling facilities, plastic bags clog machinery. One recycling facility computed the added cost as $114,000 annually.
Affordable reusable alternatives are readily available.
Stores in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts have successfully implemented plastic bag reductions mandated by law, and customers have adapted.
Plastic bags are one of the top five items found in our coastal cleanups, from Hampton Beach to the Great Bay, threatening our marine ecosystems.
Our tourist economy depends on natural beauty. Discarded plastic bags detract from our scenic landscapes and harm our wildlife.
Sponsored by
To:
Major grocery stores
From:
[Your Name]
We, the undersigned residents of New Hampshire, are petitioning New Hampshire’s major grocery store chains to voluntarily eliminate the practice of providing free single-use plastic bags at checkouts.
We respectfully request that your stores:
1. Implement an immediate "opt-in" policy where cashiers ask if customers need bags.
2. Provide incentives for reusable bags.
3. Provide prominent displays near checkout offering sturdy reusable bags for sale, with information on cost and environmental savings for all.
4. Make a plan for phase out of single-use plastic bags.
How we can help:
1. Provide information about alternatives to single-use plastic, such as mesh produce bags.
2. Write letters to newspapers and post on social media recognizing your store’s decision to voluntarily reduce single use plastic in New Hampshire.
The following organizations support this petition:
Dover Plastic Reduction Group, Green Mountain Conservation Group, Kearsarge Climate Action, NH Healthy Climate, NH Network, North Country Alliance for Balanced Change, Portsmouth Climate Action, Save Forest Lake, Tamworth Recycling Project, Third Act New Hampshire, the Town of Durham NH