Overview
Single-use plastic is a huge issue. These dirty and dangerous items are made from fossil fuels, exacerbating our climate crisis. And the waste from these products is filling our environment at an unprecedented rate. Further, corporate polluters are producing plastic in toxic petrochemical facilities -- polluting nearby, mostly Black, Brown, and low-income communities, with dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals.
Fortunately, our government can act to help solve this crisis by passing the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, which was first introduced in 2021. This ambitious bill will tackle single-use plastic waste and production.
Details
The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021 took a broad look at single-use plastic at all stages, from production to disposal, including:
- Holding companies responsible for the waste they create by making corporations pay for covering the cost of management, including collecting and recycling materials
- Instituting a nationwide container deposit program
- Banning the sale and distribution of certain single-use plastic products
- Stop exporting waste and burdening developing countries
- Setting a moratorium on new plastic-producing facilities and investigating the harm caused by these facilities to our air, water, and climate
Learn more information about the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act here.
Opposition
The plastic industry, which is deeply connected to the oil and gas industry, is one of the world's biggest polluters. By 2030, plastic pollution is predicted to cause more climate emissions than coal.
Despite lies by polluter lobbyists, we know we can't recycle our way out of this crisis. Unfortunately, only two percent of plastic is currently recycled! And cleaning up plastic waste in our environment without decreasing the amount created is like mopping up water from an overflowing tap without turning off the tap.
What can we do?
Sierra Club has a multi-faceted plan to address our plastic pollution crisis by "Keeping Petrochemicals in the Ground." This means halting the buildout of new plastic production facilities, supporting new laws to limit single-use plastics, and ensuring plastic production and disposal don’t burden disenfranchised communities.
Passing the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act will be a major step to help turn off the tap and hold producers responsible for cleaning up their mess! Support this groundbreaking legislation by:
- Writing your members of Congress put the health of people and the planet ahead of polluter profit -- we've provided a sample message, but it's even more powerful if you add a note of what this issue means to you!
- We know that public pressure is vital. Make sure you also share why passing this legislation matters to you by Tweeting it out.
- Join our national plastics action working group here!
- Get involved with local efforts to address plastic pollution in your state. Find your local chapter at sierraclub.org/chapters