Plastics show up in almost every part of our economy, from medicine to transportation to water infrastructure. But the material’s benefits have come at a great environmental cost. Each year, close to 10 million tons of plastic is released into the oceans. The United States, which produced more plastic waste than any other country in 2016, only recycles about 9 percent of its plastic. Meanwhile, plastic production is projected to double by 2040.
Recent efforts have called greater attention to this issue. In November, EPA released its first-ever National Recycling Strategy to address key hurdles in the domestic recycling system for plastics and other materials. The following month, a congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine called for a national strategy to reduce ocean plastic waste.
Reducing plastic pollution will require lowering resource consumption and creating a closed loop system for recycling. It will also require plastics that aren’t harmful to human and ecological health. Can we get there?
We ask experts from a range of backgrounds: Can we have the benefits offered by plastic without the harms to the environment and human health? What practices or policies should we prioritize to reduce plastic pollution? And how can abating plastic waste help address climate, sustainability, and environmental justice concerns?
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