Montana, Your “Plastic Trash” Takes HOW LONG to Decompose?!

Hey you, with the single-use water bottle that you’re about to throw in the trash- think before you do that.  

Plastic is a material that we just cannot escape from. The fact food companies put things like spinach in a plastic tub doesn’t make sense at all. People wash their produce when they get home anyways- no need for this extra plastic packaging that ends up getting trashed anyways which ends up in landfills or water ways. 

Billings businesses and residents are coming together to get rid of single-use plastic in this city for good.

A press release states, 

 “In 2021, the MT Legislature banned local governments from regulating plastics via HB 407. Next week, the House Local Government Committee will consider HB 413, which repeals HB 407 and restores power to local governments to address plastic pollution.” 

Katie Harrison Owner of Billings Re-fill Shoppe has been on a mission to get legislature supporting this exact thing.

She uses her voice at Billings city council meetings, as we all should, to make world more livable for future generations. She is the owner of a new shoppe coming to Billings in March 2023.   

“Microplastics are unfortunately ubiquitous at this point - they are in our waterways, the food we eat, the products we put on and in our bodies. Microplastics, once in the bloodstream, will act as endocrine disrupters, confusing or even blocking our hormones and their necessary functions. The only thing we can do at this point is to drastically reduce, or better yet, completely eliminate, our use of and dependence on plastics altogether.” 

Bozeman and Missoula have started the initiative regarding single-use plastic, as well.  

It’s about the power of a dollar. We choose what we spend our money on. If we stop supporting bottled water companies, and buy a reusable bottle- that makes a huge difference and is only one example of how we can change our buying habits to lessen plastic waste.  

The landfills near Billings are getting so full of plastic, our waste companies are having to start looking for new land to create a waste center.  

According to Columbia Climate School, plastic breaks down into microplastic, that gets absorbed into food, water and the human body. Like Katie stated above- this disrupts the human body's functions. I don’t even have children, and never will- but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about future generations. I want this earth to be habitable for centuries to come. But this can only happen if we, the people, come together and make changes.  

The next hearing in Helena is February 14,2023. 

Single-use plastic will be a major talking point that evening in Helena. What better way to show love for the planet on Love Day. These big corporations need to learn that we cannot live this way any longer. And so do our legislators. 

Your Voice Matters. More info on  HB 413 

It has been assigned to the House Local Government Committee and will likely be heard next week. Citizens can make their voices heard via Zoom, written, or in-person testimony: https://leg.mt.gov/session/have-your-say/