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1 size of Texas. Within this area, plastic outweighs plankton by up to six times during certain times of the day. Plastic pollution ends up in ocean animals. In June 2011, researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institute of Oceanography published a study finding that nearly one in ten small fish collected in the middle of the Pacific Ocean had plastic in their bodies. The researchers estimated that world- wide, fish are eating as much as 24,000 tons of plastic each year. Over 260 marine species have been found with plastic in their stomachs or tangled around their bodies– interfering with feeding, movement and reproduction, and causing injury or death. Waste Reduction In 2009, the City of Eugene participated in DEQ’s Waste Composition Study, which assessed what is in garbage across the state and in specific locals such as Eugene. The results from this study showed that recyclable plastic films constituted .63% (663 tons in 2010 disposal) of Eugene’s total waste stream going into the landfill. The DEQ defines recyclable plastic films to include a wide variety of products, 2 including retail plastic check out bags. We are uncertain as to the specific percentage or weight that plastic grocery bags are of the plastic film waste stream, recognizing that the category as a whole represents less than 1% of the waste stream. In regards to the total amount of plastic film that is recovered annually, the 2010 DEQ Material Recovery Report (http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/docs/sw/2010MRWGRatesReport.pdf) estimates that 12,839 tons of plastic film were recycled in Oregon. This is less than .01% of all material recycled in 2010, and total plastics (film and rigid) account for only 2% of all recovered material on an annual basis in Oregon. There is no conclusive data on per capita plastic bag usage for Eugene or Oregon, but we can use the Los Angeles County’s Life Cycle Analysis of 433 bags per person per year as a proxy. (AECOM, 2010) Using the current Eugene population estimate of 156,222 people, this equates to 67.6 million bags used in Eugene per year. Assuming a high recycling rate of 10%, this means over 61 million bags are being thrown away or become litter annually by Eugene residents. 1 The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes that there is uncertainty about the definition and size of the Garbage Patch, but the bottom line is that “man-made debris does not belong in our oceans and waterways.” National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, De-Mystifying the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html#5. 13 June 2011, available at 2 Recyclable plastic film includes plastic grocery bags, retail bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaner bags, pallet-wrap, shrink wrap, clear and black polyethylene plastic sheeting, hay sleeves and silage bags, fertilizer/peat/feed bags from nurseries and agricultural operations, furniture and mattress wrap, bubble wrap, woven lumber wrap, roofing material wrap, insulation wrap, commercial bags and liners, commercial parts packaging, and building wrap. 4 | Page