We can be a plastic-free Milwaukee if we demand action that protects our planet | Opinion

Plastics are not just a pollution problem — they are a fossil-fuel problem, a public-health problem, and a climate problem.

• Nations are meeting at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil to discuss climate goals, including reducing plastic production.
• Plastic pollution is a significant issue, with millions of pounds entering the Great Lakes annually and global production expected to rise.
• A Wisconsin state law prevents local communities like Milwaukee from banning or placing fees on single-use plastic bags.
• Community groups and businesses in Milwaukee are working to reduce plastic waste through initiatives like Boomerang Bags and the Lake-Friendly Business Program.

Nations are gathered in Belém, Brazil, for the annual UN climate summit, known as COP30, ten years after the Paris Agreement united more than 190 countries around climate shared goals, including the goal to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Achieving that target promised not only to avoid catastrophic climate impacts but also to secure cleaner air, safer water, and healthier lives. Today, despite areas of environmental progress, the World Health Organization describes climate change as “a fundamental threat to human health,” warning of rising respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, heat-related illnesses, infectious disease spread, and mental health burdens related to our changing climate.

Reducing plastic use demands particular attention

As countries meet, five core climate goals anchor the discussion, with one that demands particular attention: reducing plastic production and consumption.

A study conducted by the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2016 found that more than 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year, half of that ending up in Lake Michigan. A decade later, this number is predictably higher, as global plastic production nearly doubled from 2000 to 2019 and is estimated to increase by another 50% over the subsequent two decades.

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Plastic-Free MKE works to eliminate single-use plastics in our city, such as through their Lake-Friendly Business Program, which aims to reduce the level of microplastics entering the city’s rivers and Lake Michigan. Plastic-Free MKE helps businesses transition to sustainable product alternatives, and over 30 businesses have now joined their initiative.

To protect waterways, reduce pollution, and save wildlife, cities across the U.S. have slashed plastic waste by banning just one item: single-use plastic bags. However, in Wisconsin, our hands are tied. A state-level law, ‘2015 Wisconsin Act 302‘, blocks local communities from taking this simple step, as this law prohibits any fees or bans on single-use disposable items, such as plastic bags.

Milwaukee, Madison, and dozens of Wisconsin towns could protect their lakes, parks, and waterways tomorrow — if they were simply allowed to do so. This is more than an environmental issue. It’s also about local control and our communities’ right to protect their health, their waterways, and their future. As plastic production accelerates, mismanaged waste is expected to rise by nearly half and plastic leakage into the environment by 50%, placing additional strain on ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.

Here’s how Milwaukee is working for the climate

Several Milwaukee initiatives, community groups, and residents are working to change this climate narrative from the ground up. One example is Boomerang Bags, a grassroots movement that community members brought to Milwaukee to provide reusable, fabric-based alternatives to single-use plastic bags.

However, residents can not carry the burden alone. Contact your local representatives to do the footwork to make additional investments in waste sorting and recycling, create incentives for businesses to reduce waste or switch to compostable packaging, and set concrete goals and timelines for government agencies to reduce their own plastic waste. Further, reach out to your Wisconsin state senators and representatives to overturn Act 302 and restore the ability for communities across Wisconsin to choose sustainable, people-centered policies that protect the places we live and work.

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A decade after the Paris Agreement, nations are meeting and the world is taking stock. While each of our carbon footprints may individually feel small, over a lifetime, they add up too. So let’s use our reusable water bottle when we leave home and support businesses such as Rocket Baby Bakery, which, along with other local businesses in Wisconsin, has agreed to follow plastic-free guidelines and become Lake Friendly with Plastic-Free MKE.

Plastics are not just a pollution problem — they are a fossil-fuel problem, a public-health problem, and a climate problem. The time for incremental change has passed; it’s time for policymakers and citizens alike to demand enforceable action that protects both planetary and human health.

Maya Livni is a Milwaukee medical student interested in climate justice and health advocacy.