Join the Team
Our team meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 8 PM. We welcome anyone interested in working with us! Reach out to Crystal Konny at cgkonny@gmail.com. You can also sign up for our distribution list to get updates on zero waste topics.
Zeroing Out Plastic
Increasingly, research finds more and more evidence that plastic is a huge problem to human health, as well as all the other problems associated with it. Want to learn more? We’re All Plastic People Now is an Emmy Winning documentary streaming on PBS.org that delves into plastic found in our bodies.
Ready to reduce plastic in your life? There are many non-profits working on the issue. Plastic Free July is a global movement that encourages people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution! Commit to the challenge of reducing single-use plastic in your life so we have cleaner streets, oceans, air, and neighborhoods. Beyond Plastics has a wealth of fact sheets and ideas on their website.
Do you forget reusable bags when shopping? Have you already switched to laundry powder and shampoo bars? No matter where you are on the plastic use spectrum, you can reduce your plastic waste further! Here are some more ideas to get you thinking!
What will you do?
Howard County Plastic Reduction Law
Howard County Bill No 13-2021 went into effect on January 1, 2022 to reduce the use of disposable plastic.
Certain plastic single-use:
- drinking straws,
- beverage stirrers,
- condiment packets, and
- food ware (plastic utensils, containers and lids)
can no longer be distributed where food is served to the public in Howard County unless requested by the consumer. Paper, home compostable, and reusable items are permitted.
Plastic utensils, condiments, straws and stirrers should not be automatically included in delivery, pick-up, and online orders, but can be requested.
Learn more about the Howard County Plastic Reduction Law and let restaurants know you care.
Howard County has created flyers in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Spanish to give a quick overview of the law, and to distribute to residents and businesses. Please pass the word!
Howard County Plastic Bag Fee
In 2020, Howard County rolled out a 5-cent fee on plastic carryout bags <2.25 mils thick.[1]
Measuring the Impact
In order to measure the impact of this policy, the Howard County Sierra Club Zero Waste Team and Less Plastic Please conducted observational surveys of shoppers’ bag use in grocery stores a year before (in 2019) and three years after (in 2023) the policy went into effect. The complete report can be found here.
Findings from the 2023 Shopper Survey
- Progress has been made in curbing plastic bag use, but a portion of shoppers remain reliant on them.
- Many businesses are not following the rules for displaying the fee information.
- A few stores are now providing thicker film plastic carryout bags not subject to the fee.
- Nearly all of the grocery stores that provide thin plastic carryout bags at 5 cents each are also providing complimentary paper carryout bags at no charge.
- The plastic bag fee has resulted in an increase in the use of paper carryout bags, which, for all but Aldi and Lidl, are provided at no charge at checkout.
- Reusable bags (with stitched handles and not made of plastic film) were available at checkout at all of the retailers surveyed.
Howard County Annual Reports
Howard County is required by the law to produce an annual report that includes analysis of the fees, cost to the County, evaluation of progress reducing the use of disposable bags, impact on stores, and recommendations on changes needed.
What more can be done?
The Zero Waste Team is working to figure out what more can be done to reduce the use of single use plastic bags.
[1] https://livegreenhoward.com/recycling-waste/plastic-bag-fee/
Say NO to more Synthetic Fields in Howard County!
Synthetic turf fields cannot be recycled, and their disposal causes numerous issues for the environment and living things.
We oppose synthetic turf fields because:
- Plastic fields get dangerously hot. Athletes are increasingly impacted by heat related illness playing on synthetic surfaces.
- They are made from non-sustainable petroleum products.
- They contain multiple toxic chemicals.
- We now know, from the industry itself, that PFAS is present in every artificial turf ‘carpet’. Research indicates PFAS can cause decreased fertility and organ damage, impair vaccine response and cause cancers. They bioaccumulate in humans, and impact wild and aquatic life.
- They cause more injuries. Turf burns from friction, thermal burns, non-contact lower extremity injuries and concussions all occur more frequently on synthetic turf than on natural grass fields.
- Plastic fields sterilize living soil.
- At the end of their 8 to 10 years of life, they result in unrecyclable waste.
- Off-gassing of methane and ethylene creates heat islands.
Sierra Club has a fact sheet on synthetic turf. Safe Healthy Playing Fields has a wealth of information on the facts and science of why grass fields are superior. Several environmental organizations sent a letter to County Executive Calvin Ball and Director Nick Mooneyhan outlining why we oppose installation of synthetic turf fields and advocate for well-maintained grass fields instead.
Howard County needs to protect children’s health and safety, and be a leader in combating climate change in all aspects of our lives!
We would like a commitment from the County to stop installations of new synthetic turf fields, and to only use safe playground flooring for new and updated playgrounds. If you would like to work on this issue, please let us know.
One way to get closer to Zero Waste—repair it rather than trash it
Do you have items in your house that need fixing or mending but you don't know how to fix them yourself? Bring your broken items to the Transition Repair Café! Volunteers will evaluate and fix as many of them as they can and offer their expertise on items that are too large or not possible to bring in. Repair Cafés are held April through October at CEI’s Freetown Farm.
Resources
Zero Waste Bibliography
Howard County Library System has books available about zero waste.
Learn more about the impact of plastic on our planet and on our lives. The Story of Plastic, summarizing threats to the environment and to health posed by plastic pollution, is available on DVD.
Documentaries
The group Community Documentary Night has created a great list of environmental documentaries. And you can watch for free - watch one or all!
Zero Waste Tips
- Plan your meals and reduce food waste (and save money)
- Bring reusable grocery and produce bags when shopping
- Make your own cleaning products
- Learn Furoshiki to replace gift wrap
- Instructions for making a T-shirt bag
- Check out this flyer on alternatives to trashing
- Be intentional with your purchases!
To join our efforts, please contact Crystal Konny at cgkonny@gmail.com.
