Federal Bill Would Phase Out Single Use Plastics

U.S. lawmakers unveiled the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, legislation that would phase out single-use plastic products, hold corporations accountable for products, reduce packaging and reform waste and recycling collection systems. This bill tackles the most common forms of plastic pollution and holds large corporations accountable for waste.

U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), along with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representative Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), unveiled the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020.

Recent reports estimate that each person consumes a credit card’s worth of plastic per week. That's because plastic is everywhere and it doesn’t biodegrade. Plastic breaks down into micro-plastics that are found in rainwater on the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, in farmland soil that produces our food, and in our lakes, rivers, and seas.

Plastic production is also a major contributor to climate change, with its production expected to account for 20 percent of global oil consumption by 2050. Meanwhile, 92 percent of U.S. plastic waste is never recycled. By shifting the responsibility for recycling and cleanup to the companies that produce wasteful products, practical waste reduction and waste management policies can reverse this trend and put the United States on a path to break free from plastic pollution. READ MORE