This legislative session, Florida government officials are hearing two identical bills: HB 565 and SB 1822 regarding the regulation of auxiliary containers. In short, both bills aim to prevent Florida municipalities from regulating plastic consumption and will void all current ordinances regarding plastic prevention. House Bill 565 has already been heard once, receiving a 19 to 5 vote in favor of the bill. Senate Bill 1822 will be heard this Monday, March 17 at 4:00 PM. SB 1822 not only preempts local governments from taking action to reduce plastic pollution in their own communities, it prevents our state agencies from taking any action to regulate packaging in Florida – including in State Parks and Outstanding Florida Waters.
Many Florida based organizations, municipalities, and other entities have worked hard to reduce plastic consumption over the years. So much plastic consumption inevitably leads to pollution in our community and environment. As an environmental non-profit, we conduct monthly marine debris removal events in the Florida Keys. Since 2010, we have removed over 325,000 lbs. of trash from the waters surrounding the Florida Keys. A large portion of the debris we have removed are various forms of plastic products. Plastic bottles and bottle caps, utensils, to go containers, Styrofoam pieces, are among the items we remove in large quantities.
In previous years, Reef Relief volunteers would collect large amounts of plastic straws during clean ups. In March 2018 during our Spring Break Coral Camp, a trio of 9-year-old campers walked in front of our office with a counselor and picked up over 70 plastic straws in less than five minutes. This not only left a lasting impression with the children, but also staff members who worked hard to reduce plastic consumption on the island. In 2019, the City of Key West successfully passed an ordinance with large support to reduce plastic straws in Key West. Since this ordinance and many similar ones throughout Florida passed, we have not seen as many plastic straws during clean ups which indicates a huge success in curbing plastic pollution.
Passing this bill would eliminate any existing plastic regulations in the State, and it would impact rules already in place to protect waterways. If passed, the bill will result in more trash ending up in our local waterways. Plastic and other containers and packaging pollutes Florida’s rivers, lakes, and coasts. It harms marine wildlife, contaminates our drinking water, and negatively impacts the economic and recreational values of our beaches.
Preempting the regulation of packaging is bad for Florida. We urge our representatives to Vote No on SB 1822: Regulation of Auxiliary Containers and rethink their decisions on HB 565. Please continue to allow local municipalities to regulate these items on their own terms as a community.
We encourage Florida residents to contact their representatives and get rid of this bad bill.