Bill to ban plastic 6-pack rings introduced in General Assembly

The Delaware General Assembly recently heard a bill that would prohibit the sale of beverages stored with plastic rings or plastic connectors.

Senate Bill 263 was introduced on Thursday, April 11, and sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee from Dover. If enacted, the ban would apply to plastic container rings, plastic shrink wraps and plastic tops used to connect beverages. The ban would begin July 1, 2025.

As concerns with microplastics and their impact on public health have ramped up in recent years, the use of plastic ring organizers has come under scrutiny in the Legislature once again.

“As a mountain of evidence continues to pour in about the harmful effects of plastic in our environment and in our bodies, we simply cannot afford to keep doing things the same way and hope this problem solves itself,” Paradee said.

The ban would not impact products stored, shipped and sold in aseptic packaging like juice boxes, which protect sterilized contents.

New York and Rhode Island have similar laws against plastic rings, and Maine has had this form of plastic banned since 1989.

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SB 263 also stresses the importance of recycling aluminum and glass beverage containers, which unnecessarily make up a major percentage of the landfill matter and litter in Delaware. The cleanup of this waste puts a financial burden on residents and also causes the state to stray from its sustainability goals, according to the bill’s text.

The bill also comes at a time when major names in the beverage industry are beginning to do away with the six-pack rings that have become a symbol of environmental harm since the 1970s.

PepsiCo announced that plastic rings that hold its bulked drinks together would be replaced with paper-based rings and boxes. Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Molson Coors and Grupo Modelo also have announced plans in recent years to ease the volume of plastic waste in America’s landfills.

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“The future of Delaware’s vibrant tourism industry demands that we step up now to reduce the volume of microplastics that is already threatening to choke the life out of our ocean, bays and marshes,” Paradee said.

Senate Bill 263 has been assigned to the Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee.

Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her at mmcvety@delawareonline.com . Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety .

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Bill to ban plastic 6-pack rings introduced in General Assembly