It doesn't actually go into effect until 2021, but Senator Régine Biscoe Lee’s “Choose to Reuse: Muñgnga Ma Ayek I Plastek” measure, just signed as Public Law 34-10, will be getting a test run.
The University of Guam will help the island get a head start on the single-use plastic bag ban. Members of the UOG community will distribute free reusable shopping bags this week at local supermarkets as part of the UOG Green Initiative, which seeks to lead the island community toward a sustainable future.
“When the UOG Center for Island Sustainability delivered testimony in support of Bill 268 (now PL 34-10), we committed to distributing free reusable bags as an educational outreach initiative to help our community transition away from single-use plastic bags,” said Dr. Austin Shelton, the Executive Director of the Center for Island Sustainability. “Now that the bill has become law, we’re taking action without delay and providing reusable bags to grocery shoppers this week.”
Members of the UOG community have already personally bagged groceries at the Agana Shopping Center location and will be at the Dededo location Friday, June 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. Local leaders and lawmakers are invited to lend a hand in the bagging.
The free reusable bags will be provided by the UOG Center for Island Sustainability, UOG Sea Grant Program, and Guam EPSCoR as part of an educational outreach initiative to encourage the reduction of single-use plastic bags and promote healthy coastal ecosystems.
The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability was established in 2009 to lead and support the transition of island communities toward a sustainable future. CIS has since become a focal institute in our region for adapting and modeling sustainable technologies to meet island needs in the broader areas of the environment, economy, society, and education. You can learn more about CIS here.