If a Pennsylvania senator gets her way, single-use plastic bags will be a thing of the past.

Sen. Judith Schwank (D) will be introducing legislation to ban single-use plastic bags in the state.

Stores would be able to make exemptions for things like produce, frozen foods, and prescriptions.

Her office says she wasn’t available for an interview.

In her memo, she said, “plastic pollution poses serious threats to our environmental rights, public health, and community resources.”

Sharri Mason, Ph.D., agrees. The Project NePTWNE director researches plastic pollution. 

“Plastic bags are just a really good visual representation of plastic pollution,” she said.

These bags are a big contributor to our plastic pollution, she said.

The small bags can cause big problems.

“There is a lot of money that is spent on cleaning these out of power lines, out of storm drains, in addition to the fact that when they get into the storm drains, they lead to increased flooding events,” she said. 

She understands it might be hard for some people to change their habits.

But she said, changing the habit of using plastic bags will benefit everyone.

“I think it’s become a method of convenience, but it’s not a basis for our society,” she said. “We will still have society without plastic bags.”

12 states, including nearby New York, have already banned these bags.

Sander’s Markets in North East does use plastic bags. Giant Eagle has started using them again after removing them for a few years.

Stores like Wegmans and Aldi haven’t used plastic bags in years.