Encouraging State and local governments to establish plastic bag recycling programs.

Whereas it is estimated that residents of the United States use approximately 100,000,000,000 plastic bags per year, but only an estimated 0.6 percent of such bags will be recycled;

Whereas the production of plastic bags and film plastic worldwide uses over 12,000,000 barrels of oil per year, accounting for more than 4 percent of the world's total oil production;

Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency has found that the average plastic bag takes up to 1,000 years to decompose; and

Whereas because plastic bags do not easily biodegrade, such bags ultimately break down into smaller pieces that contaminate soil and waterways and cause injury, illness, or death to animal and marine life: Now, therefore, be it