Americans use 100 billion plastic bags per year. That adds up to double trouble for our environment. One, it contributes to global climate change, with 12 million barrels of oil used to manufacture that number of bags. Two, it endangers public health, with at least 11 million pounds of plastics ending up each year in Lake Michigan—the source of drinking water for 6 million people.

In our own backyard, folks shopping in the retail hub of Vernon Hills use 9.8 million plastic bags every year. Plastic bags are among the top five items found during beach and river cleanups.

If you live in Vernon Hills (zip code 60061), you can help now to reduce plastic waste: Sign this petition asking the Village Board to place a 20-cent fee on all single-use paper and plastic bags.

Fees, in addition to incentivizing the use of reusable shopping bags, could fund local sustainability programs, according to Go Green Vernon Hills and Lincolnshire, the volunteer-based citizens environmental group sponsoring the petition. 

Other Illinois cities, including Chicago, Oak Park, Woodstock and Edwardsville, have placed fees on single-use plastic bags. Evanston has banned plastic bags. With climate disaster on our front steps, it is imperative that Vernon Hills reduce its reliance on unnecessary products made from fossil fuels.

Please sign the petition today! Then encourage your friends and neighbors to sign it, too.

Photo by iStock.com/Mukhina1