On Thursday, a group of 257 organizations — including dozens of members of
the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement —
released 13
recommendations
for the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress to include in a
stimulus package, infrastructure bill and/or climate change legislation, to help
mitigate the devastating impacts caused by plastic pollution.
As the US works to build back from our ongoing health and economic crisis, these
systemic reforms would provide equitable protection against the environmental
and health damage caused by plastics. The group projects that with a minimum
investment of $1.3 billion, the federal government could protect the health of
the communities on the frontlines of extraction, plastic production and
incineration (which are also being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19
pandemic),
stimulate innovation and jobs; and promote public health, cleaner communities,
healthier oceans and a more sustainable economy.
“Plastic pollutes across its entire lifecycle — from extraction to use and
disposal — and, at each stage, poses significant risks to human health,”
said Julia Cohen, MPH, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Plastic
Pollution
Coalition.
“The US needs Congressional Stimulus and Funding Bills that would transform our
extractive, throwaway systems; eliminate sources of plastic production; and
reduce the negative health and ‘downstream’ impacts in our frontline
communities, our soil, air and water.”
While the private sector continues to innovate and
collaborate
to help solve the global plastic pollution crisis — recent developments include
Bacardi’s biodegradable spirits
bottle
and the growing market for products made from
upcycled
and averted
plastics
— #BreakFreeFromPlastic’s 2020 Brand
Audit
showed little progress by major brands as compared to previous years, and no
evidence of any reduction in production of single-use plastic (not really a
surprise,
considering COVID).
The 257 organizations note that over 350M tons of
plastic are still produced
each year — of which 91 percent is not recycled — and that the US produces the
most plastic waste per capita of any
country.
And it’s the federal government’s job to help move the needle on these
disconcerting stats. More specifically, federal funding must help stop plastic
contamination at its source before it enters the marketplace — especially
because plastic is often cleaned up with the public’s tax dollars, rather than
by the corporations who produced the plastic that pollutes these lands and
waterways. The US could take a page from the UK’s playbook — in late 2018,
proposed DEFRA legislation had businesses and manufacturers responsible for
the full
cost
of recycling or disposing of their packaging waste.
The plastic pollution crisis is also an environmental justice emergency —
because the petrochemical industry, and the waste that it creates,
disproportionately harm people of color and low-income communities.
To help combat this, the report outlines 13 priorities to help transform the
country’s extractive, throwaway culture into a regenerative, inclusive one that
is good for our economy and environment — including:
-
$150M for government facilities, educational institutions and public lands
to shift to reusable products
-
$25M to investigate and pursue violations of environmental laws by the
petrochemical industry in disproportionately impacted communities
-
$150M for research on the health impacts of plastics
-
$500M to the EPA for recycling programs and materials recovery facilities
for non-plastic recyclables
-
$250M for composting infrastructure
-
$50M to develop waste reduction, reuse and refill systems
-
$25M for reducing and mitigating ocean
plastic
These recommendations address the immense damage caused across the full plastic
supply chain: namely, gas extraction, production, manufacturing, distribution,
use in consumer products, and disposal — which often involves plastic waste
being buried in landfills, dumped in waterways, or burned in incinerators. The
solutions focus both upstream, on eliminating wanton plastic production and its
negative impacts; and downstream — on mitigating the impacts in communities, on
land, and in our oceans and rivers.
“As the largest producer of plastic waste, the US has a responsibility to lead
the shift to reusable and refillable systems to combat plastic pollution,”
said Christy Leavitt, Plastics Campaign Director with Oceana.
“Single-use plastic is flooding the
market,
and Americans can’t find options to avoid it. The federal government can change
course, help curb the 33 billion pounds of plastic entering our oceans each year
and replace America’s plastic habit with zero-waste solutions.”
The recommendations also make clear that “to effectively reduce plastic
pollution and stimulate economic growth, the Administration and Congress [must]
not promote false solutions in federal spending bills and other actions.” The
coalition highlights five items that should not be included in any federal
actions — including chemical
recycling,
downcycling, plastic carbon sequestration, the export of plastic waste; and
incineration under the guise of “waste to energy,” “waste to fuel,” gasification
or pyrolysis.
“The federal government should take responsibility for protecting communities
and the environment. Real solutions to address the harms of plastic pollution
are long overdue. Absolutely no community in the US should have to pay the price
of progress to benefit the few,” said Juan Parras, Executive Director with
Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS).
In addition to these new recommendations and points of concern,
the Presidential Plastics Action
Plan published on December 8, 2020,
identifies important steps the Biden-Harris Administration can take today.
Likewise, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution
Act, which is
expected to be reintroduced in 2021, identifies common sense actions the federal
government can take to address the plastic pollution crisis.
“The way federal tax dollars are spent reflects the priorities of the nation.
Just as our country is wisely moving away from subsidizing fossil fuel
production, we should stop funding fracked plastics,” said Judith Enck,
President of Beyond Plastics and a former EPA Regional Administrator.
“Instead, Congress should support innovation that provides alternatives to
plastics [that] are good for the environment, prevent pollution in environmental
justice communities, and create local jobs.”
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Feb 5, 2021 10am EST / 7am PST / 3pm GMT / 4pm CET