Plastic bags, straws, bottles, and other waste present a significant threat to the ecosystems in the Long Island Sound and across Connecticut. Turtles can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, and when they ingest them, the bags can lodge in their stomachs. Plastic can also cause intestinal blockages in whales and dolphins.

​The United Nations has estimated that more than 8 million tons of plastic wind up in our oceans each year. Connecticut uses more than 400 million plastic bags each year. Many of these end up in the Connecticut River and eventually in our oceans.

In Connecticut, Greenwich and Westport have banned single-use plastic bags to help turn the tide against this wave of pollution. Towns including Guilford, Mansfield, Norwich, Stamford, and Waterford are also considering similar legislation, and the town of Stonington is considering bans on both bags and straws.

CURRENT LEGISLATION

Based on the new statewide ban this page is currently being updated. 

IMPACT OF PLASTICS

• More than 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans each year. If this pace continues, plastic will outnumber fish by 2050.
• Sea turtles are now consuming twice as much plastic now as they did 25 years ago.
• More than 200 species have been found entangled in plastic, causing injury and even death to many specimens.
• 91% of plastic is not recycled. Only 12% of plastics have been incinerated.
• Because plastic takes 400 years to break down, the bottles, bags, straws, and other waste we toss away will be here for a long time to come.
• Americans use 60,000 plastic bags every 5 seconds. 
• More than 1 billion plastic bags are consumed in the United States each year.
• Connecticut uses more than 400 million plastic bags each year.
• A 5-cent tax on plastic bags in Connecticut could generate more than $20 million in revenue. This revenue could be used to fund our parks program or other important initiatives.