CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants to stop companies from allowing plastic pellets to get into Lake Michigan and other bodies of water.
“Why did I introduce this bill? Because of this lake. I love this lake,” Durbin said Wednesday at a news conference at the Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront.
Each year, nearly 22 million tons of plastic end up in the Great Lakes, he said.
Some of that comes from tiny plastic pellets — the components of a lot of plastic products. Durbin has legislation aimed at making companies more responsible in the transportation of those plastic pellets so that they don’t end up in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
“Business as usual is unacceptable, and the cost of production should include the cost of careful stewardship,” the Illinois Democrat said.
One study shows that because of all the plastic in water, each week we consume the equivalent of one credit card of plastic, Durbin said.