In the news

Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group students gathered at the University of Oregon to show support for reducing plastic bag usage in Eugene, highlighting plastic pollution’s dire impact on oceans and marine animals.

Two students, dressed as a plastic bag monster and a duck, battled in the middle of campus as Duck fans cheered for their favorite animal and signed petitions in support of reducing plastic bag usage in Eugene.
 
“Every year in Oregon, we use 1.7 billion bags,” said Meagan Maxon, OSPIRG coordinator. “Nothing that we use for a few minutes should pollute the ocean for hundreds of years.”
 
Plastic pollution kills millions of sea turtles, seabirds, whales, and fish every year. Eighty percent of plastic in the ocean comes from land-based sources, especially disposable plastic bags. In Oregon, we use 1.7 billion of these throwaway bags every year. 12 percent of Oregon’s beach litter comes from plastic bags, making them the largest source of plastic pollution.