STILL, PLASTIC PERSISTS — Single-use plastic was supposed to be sustainability’s issue of the year in 2020. In came the pandemic and out went the momentum, into a landfill. Plastic waste now is on the rise globally as we order more takeout, shop online, and dispose of masks, gloves and other protective gear.
The industry’s luck is likely to hold. Many state legislators are trying to regroup and take smaller bites at the problem after failing to rein in single-use plastics this year . In California, where the industry has stymied plastic waste reforms for the past two years, lawmakers are expected to introduce bills to address microplastics, waste exports and e-commerce packaging.
Plastic bags are shown tangled in the branches of a tree.
Plastic bags are shown tangled in the branches of a tree in New York City's East Village neighborhood. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo
A New Jersey ban on polystyrene food containers and paper and plastic bags — and the state's limits on plastic straws — is the strictest waste-reduction measure of its kind. Looking ahead, lawmakers there hope to build on the momentum with a law requiring mandatory recycled content in new containers and packaging.
Despite setbacks nationwide, there was some little-noticed action in Washington on Friday. President Donald Trump signed the Save Our Seas Act, which authorizes $55 million a year to improve local waste and recycling infrastructure. It’s the only notable recycling policy that Congress has passed in two years. But the law sidesteps more controversial proposals that would ban certain single-use products and make companies, including plastic manufacturers and consumer brands, fund public recycling programs.