Ga. Dem Senate candidate Jon Ossoff pushes to 'ban plastic waste' in campaign speech

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'A massive turnout' is needed for Dems to win Georgia runoffs: Guy Benson

Jon Ossoff, the Democratic challenger to Republican incumbent David Perdue in the January runoff election, ‘cannot afford to tick off the Bernie Sanders wing of the party,’ FOX News Radio host Guy Benson tells ‘America’s Newsroom.’

One of the Democratic hopefuls for one of the hotly contested U.S. Senate seats in Georgia, called for a "phased-in ban" on  single-use plastics to create more sustainability Thursday.  

"We can have a clean, beautiful, healthy planet. We can ban plastic waste,"  Jon Ossoff told supporters in a speech. 

"We can end the destruction of our climate. We can make historic investments in clean and renewable energy. All of this is up to us."

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Ossoff, who is facing Republican Sen. David Perdue in a runoff next month, lists a ban on single-use plastics as one of many plans to create a more sustainable future. 

"I’ll push for fast advances in sustainability — including a rapidly phased-in ban on single-use plastics, strongly enforced treaties to protect oceans and fisheries, aggressive protection of endangered species and habitats, increased fines for spills and contamination, and stricter controls on toxic chemicals," his campaign's website says. 

Perdue also has taken a stance against plastics. He sponsored the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which he said would reduce the creation of plastic waste and find new uses for plastic waste already out there. 

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Plastic bans are sweeping the country as nine states and dozens of cities have banned single-use plastic bags. 

The coronavirus pandemic dealt a slight blow to the trend though. 

For instance, Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker lifted a ban on plastic bags and banned reusable bags into stores over fears that they could carry coronavirus. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Democrat, also recommended that shoppers stick to plastic bags for now and leave reusable bags at home. 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.