The U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced an order (Secretary’s Order 3407) on World Oceans Day (April 8th), requiring a gradual reduction in the purchase, sale, and use of single-use plastic products on state-owned lands, including national parks, and a complete elimination of single-use plastic products on state-owned lands by 2032. This new plastic ban will ultimately cover approximately 190 million hectares of state-owned land.
The order also states that in the future, compostable, biodegradable, and 100% recyclable materials will be used as environmentally friendly alternatives to replace disposable plastic food containers, bottles, straws, cutlery, and bags.
The new plastic ban will cover 190 million hectares of state-owned land and reduce 80,000 metric tons of waste annually.
"The Department of the Interior has an obligation to take the lead in reducing the impact of plastic waste on ecosystems and the climate. As the manager of state-owned lands such as national parks and national wildlife refuges, the Department of the Interior has a responsibility to protect and manage wildlife habitats. Our unique position requires us (the government) to do more for the earth." U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said the order will ensure that the Department of the Interior implements various sustainable plans, such as eliminating single-use plastic products, to protect the natural environment and communities around state-owned lands.
The new plastic ban will eventually cover about 190 million hectares of state land and is expected to reduce the amount of waste generated on Interior Department lands by about 80,000 metric tons per year.
In fact, around two dozen of the 63 national parks in the United States banned the sale of plastic water bottles starting in 2011. Studies have shown that this reduced the number of discarded plastic bottles in national parks by approximately 2 million. However, this ban was rescinded during the administration of former President Trump in 2017.
US plastic recycling rate below 10%, environmental groups and public opinion support new policy
Environmental groups expressed approval of the Biden administration's new plastic reduction policy, and the calls of many advocates and Democratic lawmakers over the years have finally been responded to.
"National parks are by definition protected areas of natural beauty and history that Americans love, yet for too long we have failed to prevent plastic waste from contaminating our national parks," said Christy Leavitt, plastic reduction director at Oceana, an international marine conservation organization.
Levitt pointed out that Haaland's order will prevent unnecessary discarded plastic from flowing from national parks to other public lands, polluting more areas. A national poll conducted by market research firm Ipsos in November 2021 showed that more than 80% of Americans support the National Park Service's decision to stop selling single-use plastics in its parks.
State-owned lands managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior generated approximately 80,000 metric tons of general solid waste in 2020, the majority of which was plastic waste. Haaland noted that since countries like China stopped accepting waste from the United States, the U.S. recycling rate has continued to decline, with the recycling rate for plastic waste now below 10%. Therefore, the new plastic restriction order is particularly important.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234371)
