{"id":27109,"date":"2023-02-08t15:22:40","date_gmt":"2023-02-08t15:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.planetforward.com\/2023\/02\/08\/policy-perspectives-cutting-the-plastic-noose\/"},"modified":"2023-03-01t15:07:20","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01t15:07:20","slug":"cutting-plastic-noose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/cutting-plastic-noose\/","title":{"rendered":"policy perspectives | cutting the plastic noose"},"content":{"rendered":"
although plastic pollution, the accumulation of plastic waste in our environment, is a relatively new issue, it is one that will persist for centuries, according to sharon george, research chair at keele university, focusing on green technology and environmental sustainability. manufacturers have produced one ton of plastic for every person born after the 1950s, while less than one-tenth<\/a> has been recycled. george added that as this waste breaks down in the environment, it deteriorates into microplastic particles that are integrated into our food chain and biosphere. to combat this growing problem, further research is necessary. <\/p>\n this research must include the entry of plastics into the environment, human behavior surrounding plastic, indigenous perspectives on this issue, and viable biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics. regarding market regulations needed to tackle plastic pollution, life cycle analyses (lcas) must be required, while non-essential single-use plastic products and virgin plastics need to be taxed to incentivize the development and production of biodegradable plastics. waste management is another arena in which there is much room for improvement to limit plastic pollution, including improving waste tracking, enforcing recycling rules, implementing a national buy-back recycling program, and holding companies accountable for their waste. <\/p>\n there are also many proposed and existing efforts in combating plastic pollution such as the passing of the break free from plastic pollution act<\/a> of 2021, and the environmental protection agency’s (epa) wastewise program<\/a> that promotes the use of sustainable materials at the business and organizational level. however both of these programs can be improved and more can be done, such as including more scientists in the wastewise program and advancing sustainable policy recommendations<\/a> in congress.<\/p>\n humans have been making and consuming plastics for almost 100 years<\/a>, as this material’s light weight, low price, and versatility allowed it to gain traction<\/a>. in 2018, approximately 238 thousand blue whales’ worth of plastic, or 35.7 million tons<\/a>, were generated in the united states, with 77%, ending up in landfills. key factors<\/a> contributing to the issue of mass plastic production and pollution include multinational consumer goods companies and governments in developed countries. according to a report by tearfund<\/a> and other organizations, multinational consumer goods companies, such as coca-cola, are the primary drivers of single-use plastic production and pollution, and exhibit minimal efforts to manage their waste post-consumption. <\/p>\n the report authors continue to describe the governments in developed countries as also contributing to the issue of plastic waste through the allocation of subsidies<\/a>, particularly for fossil fuel industries, and the take-make-dispose model of economic development. on top of this, the report states that “many developed country governments have not done enough to date (for example in the form of bans, regulations and laws) to combat the problem of plastic pollution.”<\/p>\n george explained that the most common material in day-to-day life has come to be disposable plastics<\/a>, which once broken down into microplastics, make their way into our groundwater, air, and our food through the consumption of meat and fish. there are no easy means of microplastic removal, george said, and decomposition takes hundreds to thousands of years<\/a>. plastic production and pollution also exacerbate climate change as global production of this material emits 400 million tons of greenhouse gasses annually<\/a>. <\/p>\n the epa’s national recycling strategy is one of the recent efforts to combat plastic pollution, although efforts in implementing the sustainable materials and management (smm) approach, and the resource conservation and recovery act (rcra) continue to be<\/font><\/font> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>underway<\/a>. other efforts include the aforementioned wastewise program, the plastics innovation challenge, and the united states department of agriculture\u2019s (usda’s) support of research and development of bioplastics<\/a>. <\/p>\n