U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan has launched the Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force, a coalition of lawmakers working with state and local officials and industry representatives to facilitate investment in recycling technologies and promote education on plastics generation and recovery.
Reps. Kim Schrier of Washington, Paul Tonko of New York and Greg Murphy of North Carolina participated in the Dec. 10 launch meeting.
While plastics are necessary to modern life, insufficient strategies for recycling and waste management and the lack of robust secondary markets for plastics are creating steeper costs for municipal recycling programs and effects on public health, a news release from Steven’s office announcing the task force says. Less than 9 percent of all the plastic created is recycled each year.
The Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force will convene periodic meetings to highlight changes and innovations in the private sector; increase understanding of the challenges facing our domestic recycling infrastructure; identify and discuss innovative approaches to plastics generation and recovery, as well as the latest research on those topics; and build consensus among members of Congress around opportunities to address plastic waste.
“Plastics have become fundamental to almost all aspects of our lives, from food storage to 3D printing technology, and have enabled us to make great technological advances,” says Stevens. “With this progress, however, comes a cost. Some estimates suggest that Americans dispose of 22 million tons of products that could have been recycled every year. We produce far more plastic than we can properly recycle, domestically and internationally. The extent of plastics pollution is becoming ever more apparent and more alarming.”
She continues, “The news is not all bleak, however. There are a number of new technologies that are being developed to increase the efficiency and availability of plastics recycling, repurpose more recycled plastics into high-value products and, ultimately, reduce the impact of plastic on the environment and human health. By creating the Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force, I hope to bring my colleagues together with industry and other stakeholders to build momentum around these emerging technologies and move toward a more sustainable future.”
“For communities like Plymouth, the environmental benefits of recycling must be weighed against the economic and administrative factors that can make it difficult to maintain municipal recycling programs without increasing costs for residents,” says Paul Sincock, manager of the city of Plymouth, Michigan. “As a city manager, I know that a stronger end market for plastics would increase the value of the recycled goods we collect, helping to preserve and strengthen municipal recycling programs across the country.”
He adds, “Congresswoman Stevens has been paying close attention to this issue, inviting me to testify before her Research & Technology subcommittee earlier this year to speak to the challenges of overseeing a municipal recycling program. I applaud the formation of the new Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force, which will bring stakeholders to the table to help address our growing plastic waste crisis.”
“Rep. Haley Stevens’ leadership on an issue of critical importance to the environment is greatly appreciated,” says American Beverage Association President and CEO Katherine Lugar. “The Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force will bolster our industry’s efforts to decrease the use of new plastic by increasing the collection of plastic so it can be remade into new products and not wasted in landfills or as litter. This task force demonstrates how we can work together in support of new ideas and investments that will benefit consumers, conserve resources and protect the environment.”
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