You may have seen or heard this widely cited statistic: “It’s projected that by 2050, the ocean will contain more plastic than fish by weight if current rates of plastic leakage continue.” This stat comes from a 2016 World Economic Forum report that projects increases in plastic production and pollution in a business-as-usual scenario and presents the case for reducing plastic production, focusing primarily on packaging. Ten years later, efforts to curb plastic production on a global scale have failed. But increasingly, local governments are picking up where global negotiations have failed, and managing the distribution of plastic in their communities.
Unlike natural materials like wood or paper, plastic does not biodegrade in the marine environment. In its whole form, plastic waste creates hazards to marine life. Dolphins, whales, and birds get tangled in abandoned nets and lines and choke or drown. Sea turtles mistake floating plastic films for jellyfish, a mainstay of their diet. Instead of biodegrading, that plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming microplastics (pieces <5mm) and eventually nanoplastics (pieces <1µm). These smaller bits of plastic become suspended in the water column, mixing with the planktonic life that forms the base of the food chain. Here, microplastic particles get consumed by other fish, shellfish, birds – working their way up the food chain to our plates. The estimate is that humans are consuming plastic at the rate of about 5 grams per week – the equivalent of eating a credit card per week! And unfortunately, one of the major sources of human consumption of plastic is seafood.
Even in our own work here on the Port Royal Sound, we see plastic fibers under the microscope almost every time we pull a plankton net with students. This is not just a global problem – its impacts are being seen right here in the Sound. And the solutions start here.
In 2018, Beaufort County took the first important steps to reduce plastic pollution entering our environment by passing an ordinance intended to eliminate the distribution of single-use plastic bags by businesses across the county. But the ordinance language left an unintentional loophole for businesses to transition from distributing flimsy thin plastic bags, to the thicker bags we see today, because they could argue that the thicker bags were reusable.
To close that loophole and further slow the flow of plastic pollution into our environment, Beaufort County and its affiliated municipalities are considering a broader revised plastic ordinance. This revised ordinance would eliminate the distribution of all single-use plastic bags, as well as expanded polystyrene takeout containers and cups. It would also limit the distribution of plastic straws and utensils to customers who explicitly request them.
This proposed ordinance was developed based on survey feedback collected in 2025 from both businesses and consumers, with more than 6,000 residents and 126 businesses responding. In both cases, there was significant support for regulatory action to reduce the distribution of single-use plastic items, which we know are contributing to plastic pollution in our community. The graph presented here represents support for different regulatory actions for different plastic items, separated by resident and business respondents.
The ordinance would have to be adopted by the County Council and the Councils of ALL municipalities within Beaufort County before it would take effect. Then, there would be an eight-month transition period for businesses to comply.
In April, we will see this ordinance hit the agenda for the Beaufort County Council Natural Resources Committee, then, hopefully, go to Council for first reading. We will also likely see it on the agendas of Port Royal, Bluffton, and Hilton Head this spring. The City of Beaufort has already held their first reading of the ordinance, and it was moved forward.
As a champion of the Port Royal Sound, a defender of life in the Sound, and as someone who probably doesn’t love the idea of consuming plastic in our seafood, consider whether you think Beaufort County should be part of the solution in turning the tide on plastic by adopting this ordinance to reduce the distribution of single-use plastics across the County.