Florida
“Florida Rep. sponsors bill that would ban intentional release of balloons statewide”– Louis Aguirre
“Key West looks to go plastic-free”– Ted Lund
“ACTION ALERT! Encourage Florida Legislators to Support the Balloon Release Ban in 2023”– Sea Turtle Conservancy
“Release of balloons would be banned under new Florida bill. Here’s why.”– Bill Kearney
“Balloon releases banned throughout Jacksonville.”– Atyia Collins
“Gainesville ordinances aim to reduce plastic waste to take effect this week”– Julianne Amaya
“Broward Commissioners Ban Variety Of Single Use Plastics”– S Florida Times
“Miami-Dade County launches Plastic Free 305 program, aiming to eliminate single use plastics”– Louis Aguirre
“92% of Florida Voters Are Concerned About Single-Use Plastic”– Oceana
The DEP just released the updated 2021 Retail Bags Report. You can find it here: https://floridadep.gov/waste/waste-reduction/documents/2021-retail-bags-report
Florida DEP Report Shows Strong Support for Statewide Action to Address Single-Use Plastics– Oceana
“To protect marine wildlife, Flagler Beach bans balloon releases.”- Jonathan Simmons
“Balloons ‘celebrate life with death’ as they kill birds, turtles and sea creatures”– Louis Aguirre
“St. Johns County commission bans balloon and sky lantern releases”– Frank Powers
“Nikki Fried sending polystyrene rules to Legislature”– Scott Powers
“Linda Stewart, Mike Grieco bring back bills to let cities and counties ban single-use plastics”– Ryan Nicol
“State Legislation to Repeal Preemption on Single-Use Plastic Ban.” – West Orlando News
“Seminole bans plastic straws, Styrofoam cups, other single-use items in county contracts”– Martin Comas
“Nikki Fried pursuing rule to phase out foam packaging” – Scott Powers
“Commissioner Nikki Fried Announces Rulemaking to Phase Out Polystyrene in Florida Stores, Markets”– Florida Dept. of Agriculture
“Florida’s state marine mammal, the manatee, is falling prey to plastics“- Emily Petsko
“Tallahassee City Commission Adopts Single Use Plastic Policy.”– Lynsey Kirk
“Boca Raton bans balloons and confetti at its parks.”– Austen Erblat
“Broward beaches are suffering and plastic is top culprit.”– Louis Aguirre
“Winter Park’s single-use plastics ban about to go into effect.”– Julie Gargotta
“Plastics killing sea animals, and Florida has more incidents than any other state, ocean conservation group says”– Chris Perkins
“Boynton Beach latest South Florida city to reduce use of Styrofoam, promote environmental awareness.”– Miranda Christian, Scott Sutton
“Tiny turtle ingests around 50 pieces of plastic”- Gary Detman
“Four Billion Particles Of Microplastics Are Floating In Tampa Bay, USF Study Finds.”– Delaney Brown
“Marine conservationists sound alarm about hazardous plastics in FL and other Southeastern waters.”– Laura Cassels
“Sea turtles, manatees, other Florida wildlife hurt and killed by plastic waste, report finds”– Zachary Sampson
“Fort Lauderdale might ban plastic foam to help protect paradise.”– Susannah Bryan
“Linda Stewart, Mike Grieco push bills to allow local governments to ban single-use plastics.”– Ryan Nicol
“Stripping Home Rule.”– Hunter Miller
“UF researchers surprised to find microplastics in Florida Keys lagoons.” – Kirsten Romaguera
“Recycling is not the solution to the plastic pollution crisis.”– Catherine Uden
Researchers Find Potential New Threat To Biscayne And Florida Bays: Microplastics”– Jenny Staletovich
“Florida Tech Ph.D. Candidate Rachel Sales Looking to Address Plastic Pollution Issue in Melbourne.”- Rachel Sales
“Boat captain says Mylar balloons littering Marco, concerned for wildlife.”– Taylor Smith, Jack Lowenstein
“Stuart begins enforcing its ban on plastic straws; Here’s how it will affect you.”– Lina Ruiz
“104 Pieces of plastic found in baby sea turtle that washed ashore in Florida.”– Julia Jacobo
“Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful honors Sunshine Health for its commitment to sustainability.”– PR Newswire, Sunshine Health
“Tampa targets foam in first effort to reduce single-use plastics”– Zachary Sampson
“Retired Eckerd College Professor Dr. David Hastings Promotes Banning of Single-Use Plastics in Local Communities”– Caroline Hunter, David Hastings
“Newly hatched Florida sea turtles are consuming dangerous quantities of floating plastic”– David Duffy and Catherine Eastman
“New ban on plastics passes in city of Hollywood, expanding on measures already in place.” – Louis Aguirre
“Sea turtle hatchlings found dead along Northeast Florida coast after eating plastic.”– Mark Collins
“Orange County bans contractors from using plastic straws, other single-use products”– Stephen Hudak
“Plastic Pollution In Gulf Of Mexico Is Target Of ‘Nurdle Patrol'”– Kerry Sheridan
“Plastic Pollution Critical Threat to Florida Sea Turtles.”– Eliza Erskine
“Covid-19, hurricane season and plastics – oh my!”– by Stephanie Pearson
“A new bill would give more power to Florida cities to ban single use plastic.” -Xander Peters
“Environment Florida calls for statewide ban of Styrofoam cups”– WFTS
“Anna Eskamani, Michael Grieco push bill allowing local bans of single-use plastics”– Ryan Nicol
“Miami Beach Kicks Off Plastic Free Initiative In Hopes Of Helping Environment.”– Hank Tester
“City of Orlando officially bans single-use plastics and polystyrene on city property”– Xander Peters
“City of Orlando Plastic Ban Takes Effect: Plastic straws, bags, no longer available at city owned venues.”– Ezzy Castro
“Super Bowl: Miami stadium replaces plastic cups with aluminum.”– BBC
“State attorney general presses Florida Supreme Court to stop cities from banning Styrofoam.”– Jim Saunders
“Delray Beach passes resolution encouraging businesses to stop using Styrofoam products.”– Todd Wilson, WPTV
“Town ban on plastic straws begins Dec. 12”– Adriana Delgado
“Producing plastic products generates an enormous amount of greenhouse gases.”– Catherine Uden
“Your common household items are killing sea animals.”– Catrin Einhorn
“The Problem with Plastic.”– Angie Lassman and Chris Clarke
“Reducing Single Use Plastic Consumption”– Eckerd College
“Feel Good About Dining at These Ocean-Friendly Restaurants.”– Chelsea Olson
“Plastic Ordinances Prevail in Florida”– Surfrider Foundation
“Plastic Bag Ban Preemption Conflict Ongoing in Florida”– Janie Valentine
“Rescued sea turtle passes more than 100 pieces of plastic in stool.”– Amanda Batchelor
“Cities are stymied in banning plastics – and the state is doing nothing about it they say.” – Julia Ingram
“Plastic Bag Ban is the Latest Battle in Home Rule War.”– Florida Roundup, WLRN
“Florida Law Makes it Illegal to Ban Plastic Bags.”– Leah Sankey
“More local governments consider plastic straw restrictions”– Jake Stofan
“Plastic bags have lobbyists. They’re winning.” – Samantha Maldonado, Bruce Ritchie, and Debra Kahn
“Bal Harbour Bans All Single-Use Plastics Amid Preemption Bills In Florida Legislature”– Alexander Gonzalez and Tom Hudson
“Florida Supreme Court won’t hear foam ban case; Stuart says straw ban not impacted”– Lindsey Leake
“Cities must fight to keep home rule.”– Deborah Foote and Holly Parker
“Plastics ban not in the bag for Palm Beach, but there’s hope.”- Frank Cerabino
“Palm Beach starts petition in latest efforts to ban plastics bags”– Adriana Delgado
“Bottle bill has no chance, but it’s worth debating.”– Bill Cotterell
“Plastics ‘monster’ haunts Capitol to call for waste reduction”– Laura Cassels
“Largo signs off on single-use plastics ban.”– Chris George
“Alachua County approves plastic straw ban”– Sarah Nelson
“Treasure Island bags decision to fight state over plastics ban”– Mark Schantz
“Orlando City Council Passes Plastic Straw Ban”– Greg Fox
“Plastic straws are out: Ron DeSantis vetoes prohibition of local straw bans”– Samantha Gross
“Tampa considers single-use plastics ban.“- Charlie Frago
“City commissioners: Publix stifles plastic ban”– Melissa Hernandez
“Miami Beach says no to plastic straws city wide.”– Local 10
“Key West Bans Plastic Straws.”– Gwen Filosa
“Plastic straws are banned from many beaches; now ban plastic from your home”– Pamela Hughes
“The last straw — Marco council bans plastic straws near beaches”– Lisa Conley
“Kevin Rader files bill to ban plastic carryout bags, single-use straws.”- Ryan Nicol
“Plastic along South Florida beaches is seriously harming our ecosystem, experts say”– Local 10 WPLG
“Florida’s Tampa Bay polluted with 4 billion particles of microplastic, study finds.”– Christopher Carbone
“Deerfield Beach Joins Miami Beach in Banning Foam Containers”– Caitlin Switalski
“Revamped ‘bottle bill’ with reduced deposit tax filed for 2020 session.”– The Center Square, Citrus County Chronicle
More on plastics and recycling
“Efforts to Regulate Plastic Pollution Likely to Increase in 2023”– Anne Idsal Austin, Sidney Fowler, Emily Huang, Elizabeth Vella Moeller
“Why Recycling Isn’t the Answer to the Plastic Pollution Problem”– Kristian Syberg
“Only 5%-6% of world’s plastic is recycled and production is only increasing, report says”– Kelly Hayes
“The Economic Impacts of Marine Debris on Tourism-Dependent Communities“- NOAA
“The plastic to pollutant pipeline”– Oceana
“Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people for first time”-Damian Carrington
“Is Plastic Recycling A Lie? How Big Oil Misled the Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled.”– Laura Sullivan
“U.S. plastics recycling rate slumps below 6 percent, analysis finds.”– Taylor Telford
“The US Is Filling the Oceans With Shocking Amounts of Disgusting Plastic.” – Victor Tangermann
“Takeaway food and drink litter dominates ocean plastic, study shows.” – Damian Carrington
“What really happens to the plastic you throw out”– Jeff Merkley and Alan Lowenthal
“The ‘Crying Indian’ ad that fooled the environmental movement”– Finis Dunaway
“Phthalates on the fast-food menu: Chemicals linked to health problems found at McDonalds, Taco Bell”– Marina Pitofsky
“Fossil fuel industry sees the future in hard-to-recycle plastic“– Deirdre McKay
“Federal lawmakers finally have a real plan to fight plastic pollution. Will they step up to the plate?”– Christy Leavitt
“More Recycling Won’t Solve Plastic Pollution.” – Matt Wilkins
“How reusable bottles and containers can help save the ocean“- Emily Petsko
“How Plastics Contribute to Climate Change.”– Brooke Bauman
“Study: The US Generates More Plastic Waste Than Any Other Country.”– Barbara Moran
“Plastic-Free July: Talking Solutions for Businesses and Consumers.”– Liz Bothwell
“Pediatricians Warn Against Using Plastic Numbers 3, 6, 7”– Lorraine Chow
“Your Plastic Addiction Is Bankrolling Big Oil”- Rebecca Leber
“Does Marine Debris Affect Tourist Perception and Tourism Revenue?”– Casey Dresbach
“Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040: study”– Joe Brock
“Federal Lawmakers Introduce First-Ever Bill To Reduce Single-Use Plastic Nationwide”– Oceana
“Biden can fight plastic pollution with these 8 actions“- Katherine Martinko
“A Running List of Cities, Restaurants, and Hotels That Have Banned Plastic Straws”. -Stephanie Osmanski
“Chemicals in plastics damage babies’ brains and must be banned immediately, expert group says.”– Sandee LaMotte
“The Story of Plastic’ is an eye-opener on the global plastic pollution crisis”– Shilpi Chhotray
“Plastic Wars: Industry Spent Millions Selling Recycling — To Sell More Plastic”– Laura Sullivan
“Plastic-Free July: Talking Solutions for Businesses and Consumers.”– Liz Bothwell
“Chemical Recycling Won’t Solve The Plastic Crisis As Over 50% Of Carbon Contained Gets Lost.”– Emanuela Barbiroglio
“Do Plastic Bag Bans Work?”– Courtney Lindwall
“Thousands of tons of microplastics are swirling around in the atmosphere, study finds.”– Harry Baker
“Research on ocean plastic surging, U.N. report finds.”– Tania Rabesandratana
“How plastic pollution threatens our health, food systems and civilization itself“- Matthew Rozsa
“No, the Pandemic Isn’t an Excuse to Go Back to Single-Use Plastics.”– Judith Enck
“You’re literally eating microplastics. How you can cut down exposure to them.”– Consumer Reports
“Plastic and Climate.”– Center for International Environmental Law
“Oceana report: Ocean plastic pollution is becoming marine wildlife’s No. 1 killer.”– Ed Killer
“Oceana Shows The Impact Plastic Waste Is Having On Animals.”– Courtney Holland USF
“The Price Tag of Plastic Pollution.” and Analysis
“Plastic Recycling is Broken. So Why Does Big Plastic Want $1 Billion to Fix It?”– Shannon Osaka
“Exposing The Myth Of Plastic Recycling: Why A Majority Is Burned Or Thrown In A Landfill”– Tonya Mosley and Samantha Raphelson
“The Complex and Frustrating Reality of Recycling Plastic.”– Mary Mazzoni
“Waste Only- How The Plastic Industry is Fighting to Keep Polluting the World.”– Sharon Lerner
“The Plastics Pipeline: A Surge of New Production Is on the Way.”– Beth Gardiner
“Why do seabirds eat plastic? They think it smells tasty.”– Sid Perkins
Up to date news from partners:
Find out the latest plastics news from Plastic Pollution Coalition here.
Read the latest plastics news from Oceana here.
Read news from Beyond Plastics here.
Read articles from UPSTREAM’s Reuse Learning Hub here.
Read about the current plastic bag laws and state preemptions here as well as the latest blog from PlasticBagLaws.org.
More on plastics and environmental justice:
“In the most polluted part of America, residents now battle the US’s biggest plastic plant.” – Oliver Laughland, Emily Holden
“A Reality Check on Environmental Racism and Plastics.”– Rachael Coccia
“Insight: Plastic Pollution is an Environmental Justice Issue.”– Sarah Morath
“Why Plastic Pollution is an Environmental Justice Issue.”– Kate Lin
“The Deep Injustice of Plastic Pollution.”– Hillary Larson
“Plastic Free July is an Opportunity to Address Social Injustice.”– Jacqueline Savitz
“Environmental Racism is Killing Black Communities in Louisiana.”– Luna Reyna
“A Community in America’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Fights for its Life Against a Plastics Plant.”– Pam Radtke Russell
“Cancer Alley Now Coronavirus Alley.”– Krista Karlson
“Countries Tried to Curb Trade in Plastic Waste. The U.S. Is Shipping More.”– Hiroko Tabuchi and Michael Corkery
“20 Years of Government Responses to the Global Plastic Pollution Problem”– Rachel Karasick, Tibor Vegh, Zoie Diana, Janet Bering, Juan Caldas, Amy Pickle, Daniel Rittschof, John Virdin
Nationwide Polling:
8 in 10 American Voters Support National Action to Reduce Single-Use Plastic – Oceana
Americans Overwhelmingly Support Ending Sale of Single-Use Plastic in National Parks -Oceana
Videos:
“Removing a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nostril”– Leatherback Trust (Video taken by Christine Figgener)
“Plastic Fork Removed From Sea Turtle’s Nose”– Leatherback Trust (Video recorded by Sean A. Williamson)
“Midway: A Plastic Island.”– Nick Paton Walsh, CNN
“Choked, Strangled, Drowned: The Plastics Crisis Unfolding in U.S. Waters.”– Oceana
“The One True Solution to Plastic Pollution”– Wellsley Brown, TEDxMidAtlantic
“Why We Need to Stop Plastic Pollution in our Oceans for GOOD”– Oceana
“Open Your Eyes”– Plastic Pollution Coalition
“The Story of Bottled Water”– the Story of Stuff Project
“What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away”– TED-Ed, Emma Bryce
“The Plastic Problem”– PBS Documentary
5 Things Plastic Polluters Don’t Want You to Know About Chemical “Recycling”– Changing Markets Foundation
We highly recommend that everyone watch the documentary The Story of Plastic.
Plastic Free Florida 