Personal & Legislative Actions

Personal Actions

  1. Pledge to stop using balloons and single use plastic – take out containers, utensils, straws, Styrofoam, cups.
  2. Take reusable bags and containers to the store. Buy in bulk. Use compostable bags and containers instead of plastic. Buy personal care products in refillable containers.
  3. Take reusable containers for our left overs at restaurants
  4. Buy food in glass instead of plastic.
  5. Avoid personal care products that have polypropylene and polyethylene.
  6. Buy products with sustainable materials such as 100% cotton clothing, not polyester.
  7. Buy a cora ball or filter (https://filtrol.net/) for your washing machine to catch polyester fibers.
  8. Recycle plastic bags, bubble wrap, film packaging, etc. in the Trex recycling bin at grocery stores. Visit https://recycle.trex.com/ to see what is recyclable.
  9. Buy air filters for your home (small particle size) and water filters for your faucet.
  10. Dust and vacuum frequently – Kitchens and bathrooms have the most microplastics.
  11. Sign up to use the organics recycling dumpsters on www.mankatozerowaste.com
  12. Avoid these Chemicals in cosmetics: triclosan,, dibutyl, phthalate, , EDC,DBP, parabens such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl and isobutyl parabens, benzophenone-3, polyethylene glycol, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, BHA, BHT, MEA, DEA, TEA, ethanolamine, hydroquinone, methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, toluene, octinoxate, benzalkonium chloride, oxybenzone and avobenzone

Websites:

www.mankatozerowaste

www.breakfreefromplastic.org

www.beyondplastics.org

Brand Audit Toolkit

www.blueearthproject.orghttps://balloonsblow.org/environmentally-friendly-alternatives/

 Legislative Actions

When the people lead, the leaders will follow.

Toxins don’t know political boundaries. Don’t let fossil fuel industries ruin the planet.

Write your federal legislators and tell them microplastics should be labelled as a toxic chemical and throw away plastics should be banned from being produced.

Enter the relevant information and learn who represents you in the legislature.

https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts

  • Sign the resolution to support reducing plastic in Mankato, North Mankato and St. Peter at www.mankatozerowaste.com
  • Email or call your state representative to support the state EPR bill HF 4132 authored by Sydney Jordan to hold producers responsible for recycling their products and redesigning them to be sustainable in packaging and ban toxic chemicals from products.
  • Sign the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act: http://bit.ly/3lp31sR

Break Free From Plastic Fact Sheet

  • Sign the petition President Biden: Be a #PlasticFreePresident https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/president-biden-be-a-plasticfreepresident
  • Send letter or call your legislator in support of the bill for standard Labeling of compostable food service products and other packaging. Compostable product labeling bill – House file 1165 – Senate file 2243http://www.mncompostingcouncil.org/advocacy.html
  • Send a letter or call your legislator in support of (HF3075 / SF3326): Would require manufacturers to disclose the amount of PFAS they use, the products it’s used in, and how.

Tell the Senate: Pass the PFAS Prevention Package

Send a letter or call your legislator in support of banning the use of PFAS in:

  1. Ski wax (HF2952 / SF3441): PFAS in ski wax deposits directly into the environment and into our waterways as snow melts. It’s not an essential use for PFAS and is purely recreational.
  2. Cookware (HF2907 / SF3327): Cookware can be a direct and significant exposure to PFAS in our homes and bodies.
  3. Cosmetics (HF2906 / SF3403): Products that we put on our skin should not contain hazardous chemicals.
  4. Juvenile Projects (HF3571 / SF3669): Children are especially at risk from PFAS because smaller amounts are toxic during crucial stages of development.
  5. Carpet, furnishings, aftermarket treatments (HF3076 / SF3307): Stain resistance is convenient, but it means we are regularly exposed to PFAS in our homes.
  6. Outdoor wear, uniforms and other textiles (HF3076 / SF3345): PFAS is often used in weather-resistant clothing or as a stain-resistant additive. In some cases, just a couple of PFAS-coated jackets can cause unsafe contamination.
  7. Firefighting Foam Loophole Closure (HF3686): In 2019, Minnesota banned the use of PFAS firefighting foam for training purposes. We can do more by banning all uses of PFAS in firefighting foams that aren’t required by federal law.

Tell the Senate: Pass the PFAS Prevention Package

  • Send a letter or call your legislator in support ofS.3743 Recycling and Composting Accountability Act that would designate funding to improve our nation’s recycling and composting systems.

And S.3742 Accessibility Act which would establish a pilot program to promote recycling in underserved communities.

  • Email or call your state representative to support the bill HF2661 Zero-Waste Grant Program authored by Rep. Athena Hollins. This bill would create a competitive grant program for nonprofits and governments to pursue zero-waste projects. The bill would encourage solutions to some of our most pressing waste issues: electronics reuse and recycling, organics recycling, waste reduction market development, and consumer education.
  • Sign a letter telling the President to stop pipeline #3https://interfaithpowerandlight.salsalabs.org/line3bidenemail/index.html