It’s a win-win for Hilton Head to ban plastic bags

Upon pondering the plastic bag ban, I realize that if Hilton Head Island wants to remain a premier vacation destination it is time to move forward with this ban.

And what an opportunity it is for Hilton Head and surrounding localities to create “souvenir” market bags to use instead of plastic single-use bags.

Grocery stores normally charge 99 cents for cloth market bags. I think people, including tourists, will be happy to buy these bags, especially if we include messages such as “lights off for sea turtles” or “fill sand holes before leaving the beach,” with Hilton Head or a similar logo stamped on the bag.

Anything we can do to protect our beaches and the wildlife that depend on clean water and a plastic-free environment should be done.

I read your paper recently that a huge amount of trash is picked up by the Beach Patrol on a daily basis. We can help decrease the amount of trash by educating those who visit our beaches using messages on cloth grocery bags.

Let’s make Hilton Head and Beaufort County a leader in banning single-use plastic bags.

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 7:32 AM with the headline "It’s a win-win for Hilton Head to ban plastic bags."