US department to phase out single-use plastics

The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced it will phase out single-use plastic products and packaging on public lands by 2032 in an order issued by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to coincide with World Ocean Day June 8.

Secretary's Order 3407 aims to reduce procurement, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products on Interior Department-managed land, including national parks, and is part of the implementation of President Joe Biden's Executive Order 14057, which calls for federal agencies to minimize waste and support markets for recycled products.

"The Interior Department has an obligation to play a leading role in reducing the impact of plastic waste on our ecosystems and our climate," Haaland says. "As the steward of the nation's public lands, including national parks and national wildlife refuges, and as the agency responsible for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats, we are uniquely positioned to do better for our Earth."

Haaland continues, "Today's order will ensure that the department's sustainability plans include bold action on phasing out single-use plastic products as we seek to protect our natural environment and the communities around them."

The order directs the Interior Department to identify nonhazardous, environmentally preferable alternatives to single-use plastic products, like compostable or biodegradable materials or 100-percent-recycled materials. Single-use plastic products include food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic bags.

According to the department, less than 10 percent of the plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled, and it notes that recycling rates are not increasing. In a report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the plastics recycling rate in 2018 was about 9 percent, and a report from the nonprofit Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics, an environmental project affiliated with Bennington College, shows the 2021 plastics recycling was less than 5 percent.

The Interior Department lists many alternatives it is considering to "account for the variety of geographic locations and social context in which departmental facilities operate." It notes that paper, bioplastic or composite bags can replace single-use bags; bio-based plastic, glass, aluminum and laminated cartons can replace single-use bottles; and similar material can replace single-use food packaging.