Governor Pritzker signs bill to reduce plastic

We are facing a plastic pollution crisis. Twenty-two million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year and just over half of that ends up in Lake Michigan alone. Plastic foam cups, take-out containers and other foodware contribute to the plastic waste flooding our environment. But, in good news for the prairie state and the Great Lakes, SB58, legislation that phases out the use of single-use plastic polystyrene foam foodware in state facilities, has been signed by Governor Pritzker. 

The Coalition for Plastic Reduction, a coalition of organizations including Environment Illinois, is excited about this critical step to reducing plastic pollution in our state. Thanks to the legislative sponsors state Sen. Laura Fine and state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and to Governor Pritzker for signing this important bill.

Of course, there is still more to do to tackle the plastic pollution problem in our state. Building on this momentum, we plan to push for policies to reduce plastic waste including phasing out single-use plastic foam foodware statewide.