By Derek Wiback, Rise Above Plastics Activist
Our San Diego County Rise Above Plastics committee has been advocating tirelessly, countywide, for policy changes that reduce the amount of plastic entering our waste stream and which promote better alternatives and recycling. With the help of our amazing volunteer network, we have helped get numerous ordinances adopted and educated many more about the importance of making a change at home. We believe these changes, big and small, all add up and we need your continued engagement.
Like many of us in San Diego county you might be receiving a free, local newspaper. Unbeknownst to you, these papers are delivered weekly and end up on your driveway, sidewalk or somewhere near your home with some light news and a lot of advertising. You never requested this service, it just arrives.
Although the paper itself may be recyclable, the plastic bags they come in are not. These single-use plastic bags are made of thin plastic film that breaks down quickly. Worse yet, is that upon delivery they are instantly exposed to moisture and sunlight potentially sending micro plastic right down our storm drains. These bags cannot be recycled via our curbside recycling service. If fact, recycling centers tell us that these bags are a major hassle and constantly jam their machinery.
So, what can you
do?
Well…our Surfrider Rise Above Plastics committee
is currently discussing this problem with our local newspapers, but we need
your help with an easy 2-minute action.
With a simple phone call you can ‘opt-out’ of
these newspaper deliveries and stop the service. Just locate the newspaper
phone number on either the newspaper or on their website. (While you are there,
check out the digital version of the newspaper!)
When you call, ask for the subscription department.
Give them your name and address, and kindly request that they stop delivering
that newspaper to your residence. Then, keep an eye out when the next delivery
comes around to your neighborhood and see if they took you off the list.
After you have opted out of receiving these wasteful plastic deliveries, help your neighbors do the same. It’s simple and easy. Together we can reduce these single-use bags jamming our recycling centers, going direct to the landfill, and possibly flowing down our storm drains.
To get involved with this issue and others regarding plastics please contact us via email at rap@surfridersd.org.
You can
also join us for our monthly meetings! Details for our next meeting below.
Tuesday,
August 20 2019 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Dan
McKinney Family YMCA, 8355 Cliffridge Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA