Communities in the United States and around the world are facing a plastic pollution crisis. Plastic production and waste have doubled over the past two decades, polluting our oceans and poisoning the air in communities near production facilities, and threatening public health. The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that pollution can occur at every stage of plastic’s lifecycle, disproportionately impacting communities with environmental justice concerns, contributing to biodiversity loss, and exacerbating the impacts of climate change.
President Biden has committed to taking ambitious action to end plastic pollution across the entire lifecycle of plastics, and is working with the international community to do the same. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the first comprehensive government-wide strategy to target plastic pollution in manufacturing, processing, use and disposal. Advancing the Federal Action on Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities It outlines existing and new Federal actions to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution throughout the plastics life cycle and calls for continued and coordinated efforts with State, local, tribal, and territorial governments, communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders to address the scale and scope of the plastic pollution problem.
Additionally, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced new goals to phase out federal procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035. This commitment follows President Biden’s Presidential Decree upon Promoting clean energy industry and jobs through federal sustainability And the President’s Federal Sustainability PlanDirects the Federal Government to achieve net-zero procurement by 2050, including phasing out procurement of single-use plastic products. Achieving this new goal by replacing single-use plastics in foodservice with reusable, compostable, and recyclable products would further the agency’s obligations under the Executive Order.
Today’s action further leverages Federal purchasing power to reduce emissions, protect public health, and foster markets for new sustainable products. It also strengthens domestic efforts to strengthen U.S. leadership in ongoing international efforts to forge strong agreements to address the global plastic pollution crisis.
Advancing the Federal Action on Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities
in Advancing the Federal Action on Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities“For the first time, the federal government has formally acknowledged the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the scale of the response needed to effectively address it. The report, prepared by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Interagency Policy Commission on Plastic Pollution and the Circular Economy, outlines key principles for reducing plastic pollution, priority areas for federal agencies, and opportunities for further action.
Assessing and reducing pollution from plastics production: More than 90% of plastics are made from fossil fuels. Under President Biden’s leadership, federal agencies are taking steps to reduce pollution from fossil fuel extraction and plastics manufacturing. This includes chemicals of concern, a variety of hazardous air pollutants, and volatile organic compounds, some of which are known carcinogens. These measures, combined with improved data collection, will provide a full picture of the environmental and human health risks of plastics manufacturing. This effort aligns with EPA’s continuing efforts to achieve the goals of the Biden Cancer Moonshot.
Innovative materials and product design: The institutions are exploring alternative materials and processing methods. Innovation in materials and services ensures products fit into waste management systems and minimizes the impact on human health and the environment. Efforts include participating in the development of standards to promote recyclability and reuse, innovating in materials management, and further research and development of materials to create a more circular economy.
Reduce plastic waste generation: A key step in reducing the amount of plastic waste generated is to limit the initial use of materials that are unnecessary, difficult to manage, and can lead to environmental pollution. Federal agencies are leading by example in reducing single-use plastics within their own operations by targeting specific items and contamination pathways, such as implementing more environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastic bottles (e.g., water refill stations).
Improved environmentally friendly waste management: President Biden’s Invest in America policy has helped improve environmentally sound waste management, especially in communities already plagued by pollution. To ensure that plastic waste is properly handled, additional measures are needed to improve environmentally sound and worker-safe waste management practices and related infrastructure needs. This includes optimizing plastic collection, enhancing plastic recycling, and other measures to prevent plastic waste from entering the environment.
Informing and implementing measures to capture and remove plastic pollution: Several federal agencies are leading efforts to clean up existing plastic pollution and prevent additional plastic pollution from entering the environment, including the oceans. We need improved capacity to capture plastic before it enters our waste management systems, as well as additional measures to prevent and address plastic as it escapes during the waste management process.
Biden-Harris Administration Leadership to Tackle Plastic Pollution
Today’s announcement signals ongoing efforts across the Biden-Harris Administration to tackle plastic pollution across the entire lifecycle. Examples of agency leadership include:
Addressing chemical pollution and promoting environmental justice for plastics production: Under President Biden’s leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides important health protections for hundreds of thousands of people who live near facilities that produce chemicals used to make plastics and other products. Final decision rules Reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants and harmful pollutants that cause smog; Toxic Release Inventory Program Increase public understanding of emissions associated with plastics production; Prioritize 5 Chemicals Chemicals used in plastic manufacturing, such as vinyl chloride, are subject to risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). evaluate Some flame retardants and phthalate chemicals used in plastics under TSCA.
Reducing Single-Use Plastics on Public Lands and Department of the Interior Facilities: Interior Secretary Deb Haland Secretary’s Order 3407 The Department of the Interior is working to reduce the procurement, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging across the department, with the goal of phasing out single-use plastic products on Interior-managed lands by 2032. To support this effort, the Department is installing additional water bottle refilling stations on public lands, working with businesses to reduce the sale of single-use plastics on Interior-managed lands, and engaging in marine plastic cleanups.
Investing in infrastructure to improve reuse, recycling and composting: The EPA is investing $275 million. Solid Waste Recycling Infrastructure Grants As part of President Biden’s Invest in America initiative, EPA has selected grants for 140 projects ranging from improving recycling, composting and reuse infrastructure to providing technical support to local waste management staff. This grant program marks the first time funding of this scale has been offered for solid waste infrastructure improvements.
Removing existing plastic pollution in the environment: Under President Biden, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Donated approximately $70 million Federal funding for large-scale marine debris removal and transformational, multi-year projects to use proven capture technologies to capture marine debris throughout the U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes, the territories, and the freely associated states. NOAA also Announced $27 million The first 29 Sea Grant projects support the creation of coalitions and innovative research to prevent and remove marine debris over the long term.
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