Big changes are coming to the city of Charleston as the Charleston City Council voted 11-2 to phase out the use of plastic bags and straws by 2020. The ban will help reduce the trash from entering our waters and poisoning the ecosystem. It is important to protect our waters and the wildlife that lives within them. The local Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium reminds us of the harm that trash in our waterway does as there are often turtles injured by discarded plastic bags. Many other coastal cities have passed a similar ban, as the threat of global warming increases and rising water levels threaten coastal cities. Hopefully this will result in cleaner waters an a healthier ecosystem.

This new ban will hopefully be met with optimism by the public, as the law will reduce litter and improve the fishing in our waters. However, it will probably be met with some criticism by those who prefer the old ways or believe that climate change is a hoax. The Talon Staff took to the halls to ask about the community’s opinion on the ban. Zach Wallace-Wright(12) said, “*Munches on goldfish* I would have preferred a tax, but a ban will do”.  A concerned anonymous 11th grader said, “We’re moving back as a nation, as these wonderful inventions are cast aside by the regressives running our ‘government’.” Clearly not everyone is thrilled by the plastic bag ban.