US Plans to Phase Out Single-Use Plastics Across All Federal Operations

Nearly 40 years of data from Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup show that single-use plastics are among the most commonly collected items polluting beaches and waterways globally.

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued the first-ever report out of the White House addressing plastic pollution, “Mobilizing Federal Action on Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities.” The report is the culmination of the work of the Interagency Policy Committee (IPC) On Plastic Pollution and Circular Economy, formed in April 2023 alongside the EPA’s first-ever draft national strategy to address plastic pollution. In addition to cataloging actions already taken by the federal government to reduce plastic pollution, the report details federal focus areas for future intervention and clearly outlines that action is needed across the entire lifecycle of plastics (from production to disposal) and at every level of government to tackle this monumental crisis.

The impacts of plastic pollution on the ocean are detailed in a report prepared by Ocean Conservancy. Ocean Conservancy envisions a healthier ocean, protected by a more just world. Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges including plastic pollution and climate change. Jeff Watters, Ocean Conservancy’s vice president of external affairs, explained.

This report is the clearest articulation to date from the White House of the scale and urgency of the plastic pollution crisis and the threat it poses for our ocean and communities. This report reiterates what scientists have been saying about the ocean plastic pollution crisis for years, which is that we need to do it all: produce less plastic across the board, invest in waste management and reuse systems, and clean up what is already in the environment.

According to a reports prepared by Ocean Conservancy titled “U.S. contributions to global plastic pollution” and “foodware and plastic pollution” even though  the United States accounts for just 4% of the global population, it generated 17% of all global plastic waste and the most plastic waste of any country in the world (42 Mt), and the most plastic waste per capita of any country in the world (130 kg per person).

These statistics were made all the clearer by documentarian Karen Michel at her “What Matters Project” panel discussion held at Ethan Cohen’s KuBe Art Center in Beacon, NY during Upstate Art Weekend. Karen reciting Beaconite Legendary Folk Singer Pete Seeger’s song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and holding up red and yellow plastic flowers in her hand pointed out that one could purchase a single use plastic flower for a dollar at a dollar shop in the U.S. and discard it without any financial or other concerns. She said she found the plastic flowers along with a plastic covered “Happiness Scheduler” in a Beacon trash bin which Karen also held up to show the audience.

Some favorable news which I hope you all record in your plastic covered Happiness Schedulers is that accompanying the report, the White House announced a new goal to phase-out single-use plastics across all federal food service operations and events by 2027, and all federal operations across the board by 2035. The announcement comes two years after the Department of the Interior announced an order to reduce and eventually phase out the sale of single-use plastic products in national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands by 2032.

Dr. Anja Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy and an environmental engineer who has helped draft landmark state and national legislation regulating plastic pollution in recent years, said “Nearly 40 years of data from Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup show that single-use plastics are among the most commonly collected items polluting beaches and waterways globally. As the single largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the U.S. federal government has immense sway, and phasing out single-use plastics across its operations will not only cut plastic production and pollution, it will also shift the market to more sustainable alternatives. Especially as the United States is the number one generator of plastic waste in the world, we’re excited to see the federal government lead by example.”

Photographer Mene Liondos with his art show Eco Water Pollution draws attention to the problem of plastic pollution in the Ocean: https://vimeo.com/968673089.

You may see more of photographer Mene Liondos work, at the Pink & Blue Art Show at Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, New York that will take place from August 10 - September 29, 2024 with work by award winning environmental photographers (6) and painters (5) who have exhibited at museums, United Nations Environmental & Climate Change Conferences.
 
Folk singer Pete Seeger who lived in Beacon, NY is most associated with the Environmental movement in the Putnam Valley. He established an organization called Clearwater, which built a sloop that is free for the public to ride from Beacon to explore the beauty of the Hudson River. In 2004, the sloop Clearwater was named to the National Register of Historic Places for its groundbreaking role in the environmental movement and its dedication to the preservation of the Hudson River.

The Pink & Blue art show celebrates how the environmental movement in the US which began in the Hudson Valley, spread around the world with art work by esteemed Hudson Valley and international artists (Australia, Greece, Philippines, Spain, Turkey). Among these artists is Australian photographer, naturalist and curator of Lord Howe Island Museum Ian Hutton whose work  shaped the implementation of the first Global Plastic Pollution Treaty https://www.tiredearth.com/articles/drawing-attention-to-the-impact-of-plastic-waste-on-marine-life-with-art. The Pink & Blue art show will run parallel to United Nations General Assembly meeting and Climate Week NY which is celebrated state wide this year.

Pink & Blue Art Show: