Kennesaw State’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America is currently working on a bill to ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastics on both KSU campuses.
The bill would ban the sale and distribution of plastics such as straws, bottles and bags designed to be thrown away after its initial use.
“KSU banning the sale of single-use plastics would, at the very least, make a significant reduction in the amount of waste created on campus,” President of YDSA at KSU Christopher-Robin Millican said. “At best, it would prevent thousands, possibly millions of pounds of plastic waste from entering and damaging our local natural ecosystems.”
The bill, which is still in development, will eventually be presented to the KSU Student Government Association and Policy Process Council, a representative body that facilitates the adoption of new school policies, according to KSU’s Policy Portal website.
“The bill contains a provision which will allow vendors to use very specific bags made of thin, recyclable plastic film to protect food items from cross-contamination,” Millican said. “The bill also contains an exception which allows vendors to give individuals with disabilities any single-use items which they need for the purposes of accessibility.”
YDSA is concerned with the environmental impact single-use plastic has and has picked up this issue because “nobody else has yet,” Millican said.
“YDSA has taken on this issue because single-use plastics are contaminating millions of drinking sources and other natural ecosystems across the world,” Millican said.
The ban of single-use plastics would significantly reduce the amount of waste KSU students create on campus, according to YDSA.
YDSA believes students would be supportive of this ban due to younger generations having a better understanding of the responsibility to take better care of the environment, Millican said.
The guidelines and findings made by the environmental wing by the United Nations are what YDSA attempts to abide by. A document released by the UN details the different types of plastic waste and how organizations can reduce their plastic waste.
“Plastic bag bans, if properly planned and enforced, can effectively counter one of the causes of plastic overuse,” Associate Program Officer of the UN’s International Environmental Technology Centre Claudia Giacovelli said in a UN report on single plastics. “Nevertheless, to tackle the roots of the problem, governments need to improve waste management practices and introduce financial incentives to change the habits of consumers, retailers and manufacturers, enacting strong policies that push for a more circular model of design and production of plastics.”
YDSA plans to gather as much support for their bill in order to encourage KSU’s administration to adopt the eco-friendly policy, Millican said.
“We believe that if we want to live in a healthy and sustainable environment, then it is our responsibility to make the changes necessary to create that environment,” Millican said.
To learn more about KSU’s chapter of YDSA, visit its Owllife page at owllife.kennesaw.edu/organization/ydsa.
