From water bottles to packaging on products, state Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison) says single-use plastic continues to show up all over the state in landfills or as litter. The Madison Democrat is chairman of a special legislative committee examining the issue this week, with testimony from a wide range of experts on the issue helping them along.
Black says the panel is trying to develop legislation that could help reduce the use of disposable plastics when possible. He says the goal is also to encourage more recycling in areas where the most single-use plastics are thrown away.
Black says many people think of shopping bags as the worst offender. While they can be problematic, he says there are areas where single-use plastic packaging creates a bigger problem, such as packaging for industrial or agricultural supplies. He says those sectors often have a much larger volume of plastic waste and recycling is less likely to occur.
Black believes the panel should be able to consider a wide-variety of solutions. The committee continues meeting today.