Plastic legislation is on the move!

New Jersey Plastic Ban: The New Jersey state Legislature has passed one of the strongest plastic waste reduction bill in the country. New Jersey’s bill will ban single use plastic and paper bags from stores and restaurants in addition to expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) food and drink service containers. This bill also requires straws to only be provided when requested. Including plastic and paper bags into the bill is the most effective waste reduction strategy for single use bags because it encourages widespread consumer behavior change to always bring your own bag. This is the kind of sweeping action we need in Virginia. Find out how New Jersey was able to accomplish this here! 

(Plastic waste in a Fairfax County stream. Photo Credit Clean Fairfax)

California Recycling Bill: In Virginia, we recycle about 20% of the single use plastic bottles that are sold every year. California recycles about 70% of single use plastic bottles sold, California is taking their plastic waste reduction even further. After failing to pass a bill that would require a 75% reduction in single use plastic waste by 2030, the state just passed the first of its kind plastic legislation in the nation to increase their bottle recycling rate. This bill requires companies that sell drinks in single use plastic bottles to use 15% recycled plastic by 2022, 25% recycled plastic by 2025, and 50% by 2030. This bill will force companies that sell plastic bottles to buy back their plastic to use again in the future. Read the entire story about how this bill passed here! To give you an idea of how well an effective bottle deposit program along with a recycled content mandate works, Norway recycles 97% of single use plastic bottles and the European Union is on target to recycle 90% of single use plastic bottles by 2029. Lithuania has a bottle recycling rate of 34%, after two years with a bottle deposit program, the country was recycling over 90% of single use plastic bottles. Read about successful bottle deposit programs here!

Waste to Energy Red Herring: For the last 30 years, Fairfax County has been the home to one of the most dangerous waste to energy facilities in the country. The Covanta facility in Lorton is located in the 12th most diverse community in the US. Waste to energy facilities generate 28 times as much dioxin than coal, 2.5 times as much carbon dioxides, twice as much carbon monoxide, 3.2 times as much nitrogen oxide, 6 times as much mercury, 5% more lead, and 20% more sulfur dioxide. This is environmental racism. Our colleagues at Energy Justice have written extensively about the Lorton Covanta facility. The dangerous trend of waste to energy facilities is continuing to spread globally. As the US continues to embrace waste to energy, countries with limited waste infrastructure see it as an answer to their problems. Read about the damaging global expansion of waste to energy here.

Plastic Industry Greenwashing: A recent report showed the world’s largest polluters of plastic waste are, at the top of the list was Coca-Cola. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the waste Coke, Nestle and Pepsi create, so today let’s look at the number five, six, and seventh ranked polluters- Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilver, and Colgate-Palmolive. All three of these companies have made pledges to reduce the plastic waste they are generating, while lobbying against plastic waste reduction legislation. These corporate polluters are lobbying the federal government to pass the Recover Act. The Recover Act would set up a $500 million fund of taxpayer dollars that would be provided to localities to improve their recycling capabilities. A single material recovery facility costs a minimum of $20 million, which doesn’t include staffing. This bill would provide enough money for 25 recycling facilities in the US. Corporate polluters are trying to pass the cost of their waste onto taxpayers, again. The companies that are producing and distributing this waste must be held accountable for their products. Plastic waste producers should be held financially responsible to clean up their mess, not taxpayers. That is why we support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. Read the full story about the plastics industry’s lobbying efforts here.