Plastic Pollution: US Government Finalizes Plan to Phase Out Single-Use Plastics in Public Spaces

Plastic pollution is an increasing threat to the ecosystem, biodiversity, and even public health. For decades, plastic production and demand have surpassed the number of these polymeric materials dumped in landfills, as well as in marine and terrestrial sites.

The growing quantity of plastic debris has also caused the injury and death of different sea creatures that digest these materials.

In the United States alone, plastic waste has been a growing problem in the country, with reports suggesting that production of the synthetic and semi-synthetic materials has weighed millions of tons since the early 20th century.

Although plastics have helped the world in terms of daily needs, scientists and environmentalists alike perceive that excessive plastics are counterproductive and detrimental to both the environment and life.

Now, the US government recently announced the finalization of a plan to phase out single-use plastic products in public spaces to address the growing plastic crisis in the country.

The measure aims to mitigate or remove the number of single-use plastics within the next decade.

Furthermore, it serves as an update to the government's previous initiative in 2022 to withdraw the use of the materials on public lands and national parks.

Single-Use Plastic Phase Out

In a press release on Thursday, September 28, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the progress of the single-use plastic phase-out initiative across public lands, highlighting that all bureaus and offices have "finalized sustainable procurement plants" to implement the gradual removal of the plastics within the next decade.

The initiative was initially signed by the US government agency's Secretary Deb Haaland in June 2022, wherein the objective of the department-wide plans is to reduce the distribution, procurement, and sale of single-use plastic products.

In a nationwide level, the plans call for federal agencies to implement the reduction and phase out procurement of these products to the maximum extent possible.

Furthermore, the plans will be updated next year to include additional details on how plastics will be eliminated.

The US plastic phase-out comes ahead England's similar plastic ban, announced by the UK government, that is expected to take effect starting Sunday, October 1, according to the UK's Somerset Council.

This means that all businesses across England are prohibited from supplying single-use plastic items to customers starting October 2023.

Global Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution, which includes whole waste or debris, as well as microplastics or nanoplastics, has gone a long way over the past century.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, with 6.1 million tons of the waste leaked into aquatic environments and 1.7 million tons flowed into the world's oceans as of 2019.

In its global plastics outlook, the OECD states the global plastic pollution is parallel with the rise of populations and incomes, blaming failed policies that were meant to curb them from leaking into the environment.