The bill would establish a national container deposit system, ban single-use plastic products and set recycled content requirements. Staunch opposition is expected from industry trade groups.
E. A. Crunden reports for WasteDive
Federal lawmakers debuted the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act on Tuesday, after months of build-up kicking off what is likely to be a heated fight over the legislation. The bill would enshrine extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic bottles, packaging and assorted items, along with creating a national container deposit system.
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), who have been working on the legislation since last summer, joined with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) to sponsor the legislation. The bill is co-sponsored by more than two dozen other House members, as well as five additional senators. So far, no Republicans have signed on.
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Udall cited growing public concern over marine debris and plastic pollution as a motivating factor, in addition to heightened scrutiny over unstable scrap commodity markets, on a Monday call with reporters.
“Our plastic pollution process has reached a tipping point and the American people are fed up,” said Udall, who also cited climate change as another incentive, given that plastics largely come from oil refineries. One 2019 report from the Center for International and Environmental Law found the plastics industry is on track to produce as many emissions as more than 600 coal-fired power plants by mid-century.
The act comes in the midst of a significant uptick in federal legislation focused on waste and recycling. Several of the bills currently in play are popular with industry, thanks to their focus on issues such as infrastructure and education. But the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act homes in on supply chain issues more directly, a contrast the lawmakers emphasized.
“Ours is the only bill in Congress that deals with the source of the problem,” Udall asserted.
