States are Key to Controlling Plastic Waste, But Study Shows Few Have Acted

Newsweek

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As talks on a global treaty on plastic waste approach, an environmental group has found that only a handful of U.S. states are taking meaningful action to rein in the plastic waste that harms ocean wildlife and threatens human health.
Researchers at the Ocean Conservancy assessed state policies on 20 criteria related to plastic pollution, including controls on single-use plastics, recycling rates and efforts to control microplastic exposure. Only six states rated "good" or better in the group's analysis and most "need improvement."
Marine scientists estimate that the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic waste enters the world's ocean every minute, and concerns are growing about the human health effects of microplastics and toxic ingredients in some plastics.
A mound of plastic waste in the yard at a recycling and repurposing factory in Kenya. Negotiations to discuss measures to combat plastic pollution resume next month in Geneva.
A mound of plastic waste in the yard at a recycling and repurposing factory in Kenya. Negotiations to discuss measures to combat plastic pollution resume next month in Geneva.
Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images
Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy's director of plastics policy, told Newsweek that states play a critical role in slowing that tide of waste.
"States have been bearing the costs of this crisis for far too long, and states are also the best positioned to make these changes," Brandon said. "They are already in charge of recycling and waste management, clean up, consumer education, things like that, so they really do have the power necessary to make a lot of the changes that could really help move the needle."
The group's report, called the "United States of Plastics," found that states on average scored only 1.5 points on a five-point scale. However, Brandon said the goal of the report is not to "name and shame" states that are lagging but rather to point out the room for improvement and how some states are taking a lead.
The report found that 14 states have phased out single-use food containers made from expanded polystyrene, commonly called "Styrofoam," and a dozen states have phased out single-use plastic bags.
"We know these types of laws are effective," Brandon said. A study published last month in the journal Science found that bans on plastic bags can cut the plastic bags that end up in the environment by 25 percent to 47 percent. "These are the types of effective policies that we're starting to see roll out across the country."
Another promising development, Brandon said, is the recent growth of extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies that hold plastic and packaging producers accountable for the costs of dealing with plastic packaging.
"What this does is it flips the system on its head," she said. Instead of placing costs for plastic waste collection and recycling on the public, Brandon explained, an EPR makes the companies that produce and use the plastic packaging pay for the full life cycle of the product. "Then producers are responsible for paying for the recycling of their products, which also incentivizes them to make more recyclable products, products that are actually less wasteful, use less plastic, and are better for the environment."
This year Maryland and Washington adopted EPRs, joining California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota and Oregon.
A map from the Ocean Conservancy report, the "United States of Plastics. The group assessed state policies on plastic pollution based on 20 criteria and found that most states "need improvement."
A map from the Ocean Conservancy report, the "United States of Plastics. The group assessed state policies on plastic pollution based on 20 criteria and found that most states "need improvement."
Courtesy of Ocean Conservancy
However, even some states with progressive environmental records have struggled to adopt or fully implement rules on plastic waste. New York legislators debated an EPR this year, but the measure fell short amid cost concerns raised by some plastic producers and food packaging companies.
California, which earned the highest rating in the Ocean Conservancy report, has also tapped the brakes on implementation of parts of its landmark law on plastic pollution, SB54.
That 2022 state law aims to reduce single-use plastic packaging, increase recycling rates and establish a plastics cleanup fund that industry would pay for. In March, however, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom rejected the enforcement rules that had been developed by the state's recycling agency and asked for new rules that imposed fewer costs and allowed companies more flexibility.
Brandon called that a "frustrating" development.
"A lot of the changes have been favoring the industry side, trying to weaken or roll back some of the protections," she said.
Many major corporations that have made commitments to cut plastic waste are also falling short of their goals. Two reports released late last year by the U.S. Plastics Pact and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that despite some progress on increasing the use of recycled materials and reducing the use of virgin plastics, many companies are "likely to miss key 2025 targets."
The Ocean Conservancy report comes at the midway point of Plastic Free July, an annual, monthlong campaign launched in 2011 to encourage people to reduce their personal plastic use and to raise awareness about plastic pollution.
Next month, negotiators will gather in Geneva for another round of talks on a global treaty on plastic waste. The last talks in December ended in stalemate after support for a strong treaty by a majority of the participating countries was blocked by opposition from plastics and petroleum producing countries.
The U.S. is the world's top producer of plastic waste, and Brandon said whatever the outcome of the Geneva talks, states will remain key players.
"Regardless of what is negotiated at a global level, it's going to have to come back to countries, and in the United States, it's ultimately going to come down to states to be the implementers," she said.
You can learn more at the Newsweek online event "Turning the Tide on Plastic Waste." Join us from your laptop or mobile device at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 24, to hear our expert panel preview the global plastics treaty talks and explain the most promising developments in the effort to reduce plastic pollution.