WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress is now looking into ways to cut down on harmful plastic waste.
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According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an estimated eight million metric tons of plastic waste goes into the ocean every year. That’s equivalent to dumping a garbage truck of plastic waste into the ocean every minute.
Now, lawmakers are looking into ways to cut down on that waste.
“We need to cut plastic production by 50 percent in the next 10 years,” Beyond Plastics President Judith Enck testified during a Senate hearing. “We can do it.”
Environmental experts called for Congress to pass legislation to require plastics companies to reduce the production and use of plastic products. They warned about the lack of oversight when it comes to monitoring the toxicity in the plastic waste going into our waterways.
The plastics industry also admits there is too much waste, but argues getting rid of plastic, or making significant cuts isn’t the answer. They say the problem comes down to a lack of recycling.
DYK that we consume an estimated credit card's worth of plastic each week?
— Senate EPW Democrats (@EPWCmte) December 15, 2022
Today, @SenJeffMerkley led an EPW Subcommittee hearing on how we can tackle the mounting environmental and public health threats of plastic waste. pic.twitter.com/PMBrmtK0TC
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With different recycling laws across states, experts say some plastic waste isn’t ending up where it’s supposed to go.
“The incredible innovations in plastic material and products have outpaced our ability to recycle them because infrastructure has not kept up,” Plastic Industry Association CEO Matt Seaholm explained. “Our nation’s recycling rate is too low.”
Seaholm called for more investments in recycling infrastructure to help fix the problem.
Lawmakers are now weighing legislation that balances cutting down plastics wear with keeping up with everyday needs.
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Scientist say some other countries require chemicals in plastics to be proven to be safe before they can be used, unlike the United States where chemicals are presumed safe until proven otherwise.
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