I grew up in the ’90s and remember the “three Rs”: reduce, reuse, recycle. Your recent editorial, “Instead of banning plastic bags, why not recycle?,” suggests skipping right to the part that requires the least effort from us. It’s lazy and shuns individual responsibility. Is this really the right attitude to confront the staggering plastic pollution crisis? The crisis whereby 33 billion pounds of plastic wash into the ocean every year, or about two garbage trucks’ worth of plastic enter the seas every minute.

Recycling is undeniably important, but as individuals, we can have a bigger impact if we start by reducing the materials we accumulate in the first place. Paper bags are better than plastic bags, sure, but I recycle religiously and frankly have no idea what happens after I dump my recyclables in the green bins. I do know that at best, only around 9% of all plastic waste that has ever been generated has been recycled, according to ocean conservation organization, Oceana.

There are then three whole paragraphs in the editorial describing a peculiar process people can follow to recycle plastic bags starting with a link in a government website. It was hard to even follow the instructions outlined – and I actually care about this stuff. I’m glad that program exists, but isn’t “Bring your own reusable bag” an easier directive to remember and follow?

Changing habits is hard even for well intentioned folks, so shouldn’t we be supporting legislation that makes things easier for us? And it’s not just my preference: A recent poll found that 89% of Massachusetts voters support local and state policies that reduce single-use plastic.

In short, your editorial had the overtones of a petulant child unwilling to make a small change, but unable to convincingly articulate why. Plastic is bad for the environment, period. Let’s just remove it as an option.

Christina Cromeyer Dieke

Boston

I am writing to voice my opposition to H670 & H671 which would allow non-citizens and / or 16-year-olds to vote in local elections.

I happen to own two homes in Massachusetts in different towns. As a natural born citizen, I am not allowed to vote in both towns. I have to pick one as my primary home, even though I pay taxes in both.

There is a process for people who come to Massachusetts legally to become citizens and thereby earn the right to vote. I am all for this process. I am totally against allowing non-citizens to vote. If you give immigrants more rights that citizens, that is a major legal problem.

I am also against 16-year-olds voting. We brought up five children and I can attest that a 16-year-old is not ready to take on that responsibility. Let’s let our kids be kids. Their time will come when they can have input into their government. Eighteen is barely there.

Joan Gonfrade
Ashland