According to the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC)
“Communities are ready for decision-makers to take action. In a recent poll, conducted in December 2024, 80% of U.S. voters support state and local policies that reduce single-use plastic foam. A broad coalition of environmental and business advocates from across the state traveled to the State Capitol today for the Coalition for Plastic Reduction’s Plastic Reduction Lobby Day to speak with legislators about the need for swift action to prevent further plastic pollution and protect our state’s drinking water and environment. They called on legislators to pass the following plastic pollution prevention bills:
Phasing Out Single-use Foam Foodware, SB1531 Sen. Fine – Passed Committee 7-2
Americans use at least 5.6 billion pieces of plastic foam each year. Foam is exceptionally difficult to recycle and turns into toxic environmental microplastic particles. This bill reduces plastic pollution at the source by restricting the sale and distribution of foam food containers.
Phasing Out Single-use Plastic Bags, SB1872 Sen. Castro – Passed Committee 7-2
Americans use 100 billion plastic grocery bags each year, and although a single-use plastic shopping bag is used for just 12 minutes, it can stick around for 20 years. Plastic bags eventually degrade into microplastics, which can end up in the Great Lakes and our drinking water. This bill would implement a statewide phase-out of plastic shopping bags in five years at retailers with 12 or more locations and 250 or more employees nationwide. Environmental groups and key players like the Illinois Retail Merchants Association support this bill.
Several other bills addressing plastic pollution are currently being considered by the General Assembly, including:
Protecting Our Waterways From Microfibers – HB1370/ SB30 Rep. Didech / Sen. Morrison
More than 18 million microfibers, the most common type of microplastic, can be released in just one load of laundry. This bill will address this problem by adding a microfiber filter to new washing machines by 2030, similar to lint filters in dryers, preventing millions of microfibers from becoming polluted.
Plastic Pellet Free Waters – HB3278 Rep. Mason
Tiny plastic pellets are the building blocks of plastics manufacturing. They’re also being dumped into our environment by the millions polluting our water and harming wildlife. This bill will help to ensure that industry is held accountable for preventing the dumping or spilling of plastic pellets during the plastic production process.
Skip the Stuff – HB1600 Rep. Gong Gershowitz
Unwanted single-use plastic utensils pile up in our homes, landfills and in nature. This bill will require that third-party delivery apps only deliver single-use plastic utensils if they’ve been requested.”
Use your voice
Find your Illinois House members
Find your Illinois Senate members
Here is a sample letter that can be used to write your lawmakers:
Dear member of the Illinois General Assembly,
Plastic pollution is a threat to the health of all Illinoisans and our environment. As your constituent, I ask you to vote to support bills that ban single-use plastics.
22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year, where it can harm wildlife and contaminate our water. Microplastics and the toxic chemicals used in plastic production impact our drinking water and can harm us and our neighbors. We can’t recycle our way out of this problem. We must reduce unnecessary single-use plastics before it becomes more pollution.
Keeping our drinks hot or cold for just a few minutes isn’t worth polluting our communities for hundreds of years. Please support a full phase-out of polystyrene foam foodware in Illinois.
Name:
Address:
Email:
Visit Wildlife over Waste through Environment Illinois to learn more and show your support.
Take action! – Say Farewell to Foam