§ 130A-309.120. Findings. - North Carolina Statutes

Part 2G. Plastic Bag Management.

§ 130A‑309.120. Findings.

The General Assembly makes thefollowing findings:

(1)        Distribution ofplastic bags by retailers to consumers for use in carrying, transporting, orstoring purchased goods has a detrimental effect on the environment of theState.

(2)        Discarded plasticbags contribute to overburdened landfills, threaten wildlife and marine life,degrade the beaches and other natural landscapes of North Carolina's coast,and, in many cases, require consumption of oil and natural gas during themanufacturing process.

(3)        It is in the bestinterest of the citizens of this State to gradually reduce the distribution anduse of plastic bags.

(4)        Environmentaldegradation is especially burdensome in counties with barrier islands wheresoundside and ocean pollution are more significant, where removing refuse fromsuch isolated places is more difficult and expensive, where such refuse deterstourism, and where the presence of a National Wildlife Refuge or NationalSeashore shows that the federal government places special value on protectingthe natural environment in that vicinity.

(5)        The barrier islandsare most relevant in that they are where sea turtles come to nest. NorthCarolina has some of the most important sea turtle nesting areas on the EastCoast, due to the proximity of the islands to the Gulf Stream. Plastic bagdebris can be harmful to sea turtles and other land and marine life. The watersadjacent to the barrier islands, because they serve as habitat for the turtles,are particularly sensitive to waterborne debris pollution.

(6)        Inhabitated barrierislands are visited by a high volume of tourists and therefore experience ahigh consumption of bags relative to their permanent population due to largenumbers of purchases from restaurants, groceries, beach shops, and otherretailers by the itinerant tourist population.

(7)        Barrier islands aresmall and narrow, and therefore the comparative impact of plastic bags on thebarrier islands is high.  (2009‑163, s. 1.)