“Friends, we must take personal action. The state will not even allow the city/county to ban single-use plastic bags, but we can stop using them.”

“Friends, we must take personal action. The state will not even allow the city/county to ban single-use plastic bags, but we can stop using them.”
“Cities such as Durham and Asheville were exploring bans or fees on plastic bags to address local waste management challenges and reduce environmental impact.”
“Though it can feel like an overwhelming task, together we can change the impact of plastics on our environment until our city is able to install its own official plastic ban.”
“The primary goal is to raise awareness about the environmental impact of single-use plastic pollution and inspire people to make sustainable choices in their daily lives.”
Xpress readers engaged with a wide range of local issues in 2023 — from concerns about downtown Asheville to infrastructure priorities, a possible single-use plastic bag ban, education issues and more.
“What we as citizens can do now to minimize the number of plastic bags that end up in the landfill is to deposit our plastic bags at various stores that provide bins for this purpose.”
“On balance, our ordinance would significantly reduce the amount of pollution, waste and greenhouse gases created to help county residents carry their groceries out of the store.”
“Every single time MountainTrue takes a sample of our French Broad River watershed, plastic pollution is found at some degree. This is unacceptable!”
“Even if it is something as simple as using paper bags instead of plastic bags, every little bit counts.”
“Mountain Xpress readers: Please attend the Sept. 27 meeting and urge Asheville City Council to take immediate action to protect public health and the environment.”
“If the purpose of the initiative by MountainTrue and the Sierra Club is to reduce single-use plastics, why are they proposing a 10-cent charge for paper bags?”
“Because the presence of a pollutant that is harmful to both human health and the environment has been documented in our region (we have the water samples to prove it), Asheville and Buncombe County not only have the power to act, they have a legal duty to protect its residents.”
Dawn Chávez, the executive director of Asheville GreenWorks, found many threats to the region’s sustainability in 2019. She listed the top five of her worries for Xpress’s year-end review.
“Many restaurants in Asheville have stopped offering plastic straws in response to this issue, which is an impressive step in the right direction. Straws, however, make up a trifling percentage of plastic waste, and real progress will take much more effort.”