Environmental Group Recommends Action Against Plastic Bottles in State

A small-scale study from the advocacy group Environment America found evidence of microplastics throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the group announced this week.  Using citizen scientists, the group collected several water samples at 15 different places throughout the watershed, including five sites in Maryland waterways. They found microplastics at every site, whether in the form of plastic fiber, film, beads or fragments.  The results, according to several local environmental groups, are strong evidence that Maryland lawmakers should move forward with legislation this year to curb plastic pollution, including a bottle return program that would reimburse Marylanders who drop off plastic drink containers for recycling.  The report appeared on the website Maryland Matters.