A ban on plastic bags is something city leaders in Sarasota are considering. Right now, it's not up to them. But if senate bill 162 passes it would give smaller cities like Sarasota the authority to ban them.
David Pilston, the Chief executive officer for Save our Seabirds, applauded the idea and said it would save thousands of seabirds from an early death.
"It's very upsetting, it's actually sickening to see that," Pilston said. "These birds, you know, this is not their fault they are running into this. They are just trying to survive."
According to Pilston, each one of the Pelicans at Save our Seabirds ingested plastic at some point and because plastic typically doesn't digest...it stays in their stomach for years. Pilston said recycling is a good way to alleviate the problem.
"It's very easy to use reusable bags when you're shopping and as far as plastic bottles it's easy to recycle," said Pilston. "Every bit of plastic that has ever been made or manufactured still exists. It never goes away it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces so there are pieces of micro plastics on every beach in the world."
Pilston wants the ban to take place soon. The senate bill, however, is quite a ways off from being voted on. It's currently headed through committees, and the house bill has been introduced.
