
Paper or plastic? Perhaps the answer is neither. One of the topics of interest to Governor Tulafono at last week's U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting was the possibility of banning plastic bags in American Samoa.
And talk may now be turning into action sooner than everyone suspected. Plastic bags can take hundreds of years to break down. As they break down, they may release toxic materials into the water and soil. Plastic bags discarded in the ocean can choke and strangle wildlife.
Endangered sea turtles eat the bags and often choke-—probably because the bags resemble jellies, the primary food of many sea turtles.
Should American Samoa take a stand, it could play a leading role for other South Pacific islands facing similar land and oceanic threats from this all too common human debris.
2 comments:
Hi there! Just discovered your blog and am eager to read all the archives. As a native San Franciscan with an American Samoan mother I'm always curious to hear about other American's observations of American Samoa. I'm also pleasantly suprised to hear about some proactive environmental action going on in American Samoa!
I hope they go through with this. I hate plastic bags and the waste they create. I noticed that Independent Samoa has started using biodegradable plastic bags which is a small step in the right direction (recognizing a problem) but probably does little in reducing landfill waste (correct me if I'm wrong but don't these take awhile to degrade and need specific conditions as well?) and not very helpful I'm sure with the sea turtle issue. I believe American Samoa can do a step better by encouraging reusable bags- they make so much more sense both economically and environmentally. Not to mention convenience...who wants to deal with all those plastic bags anyway?
hey there, tariann...
glad you found my blog and hope you enjoy what you read and see here....
american samoa is so beautiful... it would be great for the leaders there to be true leaders for other islands... i think we should keep our eyes on a.s. as they seem on the verge of some amazingly proactive conservation on the part of the government...
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