Solid Waste
Bill to reduce plastic bag waste passes Mass. Senate
Massachusetts lawmakers are making strides toward confronting our state's plastic problem. In a late-night session on Nov. 21, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill to ban plastic grocery and retail bags — pervasive single-use waste items — across the commonwealth.
Consumer Protection
Watch out for unsafe toys this holiday season
Our annual “Trouble in Toyland” report found toys with choking hazards, recalled toys still for sale, toxics in slime and more.
Massachusetts takes another step closer to protecting pollinators
Massachusetts is now closer to confronting the alarming decline in the population of bees and other vital pollinators. Beekeepers in the commonwealth reported a startling 64.9 percent annual loss in colony numbers in 2017.
Antibiotics
Superbugs Unplugged: PIRG launches podcast about antibiotic resistance
Get ready for some alarming stories—and they're all the more alarming because they're true. On Nov. 14, U.S. PIRG and the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center (ARAC) of George Washington University launched "Superbugs Unplugged," a podcast that will dive into the alarming issue of rising antibiotic resistance.
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News & Research
BOSTON -- Governor Baker signed a critical bill today aimed at stemming the youth vaping epidemic. “An Act to Modernize Tobacco Control” is the first state law that prohibits the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes and chewing tobacco. It’s a major step to protect youth because four out of five kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product. The bill passed both houses of the legislature by an overwhelming majority.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that discount stores T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods sold 19 different recalled products to consumers between 2014 and 2019. In the case of five products, the stores’ parent company TJX initiated the recall. The products included the Rock ‘N Play and Kids II inclined infant sleepers, which are responsible for a number of fatalities, rattles that can break and pose a choking hazard, and electronics that overheat or explode.
Get ready for some alarming stories—and they're all the more alarming because they're true.
On Nov. 14, U.S. PIRG and the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center (ARAC) of George Washington University launched "Superbugs Unplugged," a podcast that will dive into the alarming issue of antibiotic resistance and how we can slow it. Matt Wellington, our Stop the Overuse of Antibiotics campaign director, is co-hosting the podcast, along with Dr. Lance Price of ARAC.
BOSTON -- By an overwhelming majority, (32-6) the Massachusetts Senate passed a critical bill last night aimed at stemming the youth vaping epidemic. “An Act to Modernize Tobacco Control” would ban flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes and chewing tobacco. It’s a critical step to protect youth because four out of five kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product. The bill is now on Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.
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