URI Student's Thesis Seeks Public's Views On Single-Use Plastics

SMITHFIELD, RI – Kasie Costa grew up going to the beaches in Dartmouth, Mass. where she developed a fascination with the shoreline and the ocean. As a Master of Arts in Marine Affairs candidate at the University Rhode Island, Costa now sees what the disposal of single-use plastics threatens to do to the marine life that live in the waters surrounding the state.

As Rhode Island moves forward toward a possible statewide ban of single-use plastic bags, Costa is looking to find out how state residents feel about potential bans of other single-cut plastics such as water and soda bottles. Costa has made that the focus of her senior thesis project and is looking for feedback is looking for residents' help collecting opinions.

"I chose single-use plastics for my thesis because they are a huge environmental pollution issue that has the potential to not only affect the marine life in the ocean, but to humans as well, which people don't always realize," Costa told Patch on Friday.

Costa is looking for Rhode Islanders to participate in a 10- to 15-minute survey and voice their opinions about state-wide bans on single-use plastics. Anyone 18 years or older, and is a permanent resident of Rhode Island, is eligible to participate. The survey has been posted on town social media sites such as Smithfield's Facebook page.

"The goal of my survey (is to) to understand how the residents of Rhode Island view the issue of plastic pollution and how they feel about the potential state-wide ban on various single-use plastics," Costa said.

Costa said she expects the results to show there are more people in favor of a state-wide single-use plastic bag ban since there are several communities in the state that have already adopted them, and the behaviors of those residents are leaking over into neighboring towns as well. But she said she is less certain about how residents will feel about broadening the ban to include other types of single-use plastics.

"In my opinion, Rhode Island is keeping up with the curve in terms of plastic pollution, but there is always more that can be done," she said. "I think the next step is not just banning more single-use plastics, but to also raise awareness on the pros and cons of the effects of single-use plastics, so decisions can be made accordingly."

Costa has a bachelor's degree in marine biology and said she is studying marine affairs because it involves more than just science, and will allow her to make a difference.

"Seeing all the pollution made me want to act, and starting with public perceptions on this issue helps me understand how people feel, which allows for a difference to happen," she said.

The deadline for anyone who wants to help Costa and participate in her survey is Jan. 1. Costa said this study has been approved by the University of Rhode Island Institutional Review Board. Participation is voluntary and all answers will be confidential. The survey will not ask for any identifying information (like a name or contact information), but an IP address will be recorded to prevent anyone participating multiple times.

Costa said anyone with questions about the survey can reach out to her at kcost2@my.uri.edu. Questions may also be directed to Richard Burroughs at the University of Rhode Island, Department of Marine Affairs at rburroughs@uri.edu.

READ MORE:

• Rhode Island Plastic Bag Ban Bill Advances
• Providence City Council Approves Citywide Plastic Bag Ban
• Senate Committee Discusses Plastic Bag, Straw Bans
• South Kingstown Cutting Back on Plastic Bag Use
• Barrington Town Council Expands Plastic Ban