The Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR) reflects on a new report from the Biden-Harris administration outlining national strategies for addressing the plastic pollution crisis.
To effectively address the plastic pollution crisis, action is needed across all federal agencies. Recently, the Biden-Harris administration released “Mobilizing Federal Action on Plastic Pollution,” outlining the federal government’s strategy to combat the growing crisis of plastic pollution. The report builds on the EPA’s “Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution” circulated last year.
As part of the strategy, the administration sets a new target to eliminate single-use plastics in all federal food service operations and events by 2027 and across all federal operations by 2035. This announcement follows a 2022 order by the Department of the Interior that aims to reduce and eventually phase out the sale of single-use plastic products in national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands by 2032.
The Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR) supports federal action on plastic pollution. A shift in federal practices is an important step forward, but to truly address this crisis, we need to focus on the root cause of the problem: the overproduction of plastics. Recycling is a key part of a zero waste future, but recycling alone will never solve the plastics pollution crisis. We need big, bold, and immediate actions that prioritize reduction and reuse.
The Strategy Acknowledges the Full Expanse of the Plastics Problem
The newly released strategy is the first federal acknowledgment of the significant and far-reaching impact plastics have on people and the planet. This includes impacts across the plastics lifespan, from extraction to disposal. The report also recognizes that plastic pollution is so widespread and complex that solving the problem will require cooperation from all levels of government.
Impacts recognized in the report include:
- Harmful Impacts on Marginalized Communities: Low-income and marginalized communities are disproportionately and unfairly burdened by plastic pollution. Plastic production facilities, incinerators, or landfills are often situated in these communities, exposing them to higher levels of pollutants and associated health risks.
- Microplastics: These small plastic particles result from the breakdown of larger plastics and are pervasive in water bodies and soils. Microplastics are ingested by marine life and can enter the food chain, posing potential risks to human health.
- Cleanup and Waste Management Costs: Managing plastic waste requires significant financial resources, from cleanup operations to waste disposal infrastructure. The burden of these costs often falls on governments and, ultimately, taxpayers.
- Climate Change: The entire lifespan of plastics—from fossil fuel extraction and production to transportation and disposal—has a substantial carbon footprint that significantly exacerbates climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
The report highlights these impacts to emphasize the urgency of addressing plastic pollution through coordinated federal action that supports improvements in recycling, investments in reuse infrastructure, and the development of more sustainable practices.
Stronger Action Beyond Recycling is Urgently Needed
At AMBR, we know we cannot recycle our way out of the plastics crisis. The broad solutions identified in the report align with what we are seeing on the ground:
“Downstream efforts, such as increasing waste collection and recycling, are insufficient to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. Instead, a holistic approach across the entire lifecycle of plastic is required to reduce and ultimately prevent harm to the environment, economy, and human health.”
This broad statement acknowledges that the real solutions are investing in reduction and reuse. Unfortunately, the actions identified in the report to respond to these impacts do not go far enough. The three biggest concerns within the strategy identified are:
- An Overreliance on Recycling: The federal strategy promotes recycling as a primary solution. As recyclers, we know that recycling alone cannot manage the vast amount of plastic waste generated or prevent the dramatic increase in fossil fuel extraction. Most plastic is not designed to be recycled, resulting in a significant portion ending up in landfills or being incinerated. We need to prioritize reducing plastic production, alongside making significant shifts toward reuse and redesigning products.
- Insufficient Focus on Plastic Production Reduction: While the strategy emphasizes improving recycling, it does not do enough to address the root cause of the problem: the overproduction of plastics. Communities cannot manage the influx of plastic waste. Without a significant reduction in plastic production, the problem will persist.
- Lack of Binding Regulations: The report largely focuses on strategies and goals but lacks enforceable regulations or specific legislative measures to limit plastic production and use. Without binding commitments, the recommendations may not be fully implemented or enforced.
A Call for Authentic Solutions to Plastic Pollution
While the report is a positive step, more aggressive and comprehensive measures are needed to tackle the plastic pollution crisis effectively. Bold and immediate policy shifts are crucial, including national policy changes that:
- End subsidies for fossil fuel extraction to level the playing field for recycled content;
- Develop a national bottle bill program prioritizing reuse and refill;
- Create a national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging policy to eliminate the most problematic packaging and drive reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting; and
- Support clear and accurate labeling standards for recyclable and compostable products and packaging.
It is encouraging that so much momentum is building in the US and around the globe to reduce plastic pollution, but we need forward-thinking, progressive measures that acknowledge the reality of our climate crisis and the scale of the plastic pollution crisis. We must take bold action to achieve the meaningful changes we truly need.