Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste (2022) / Chapter Skim
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7 Interventions for U.S. Contributions to Global Ocean Plastic Waste
7 Interventions for U.S. Contributions to Global Ocean Plastic Waste
Pages 141-168
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From page 141... ...
2020, World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and McKinsey & Company 2016) articulate the need for an integrated range of strategic interventions and advocate enforceable legal requirements and investments around waste prevention and management, product standards, and multisector commitments to reduce sources of plastic waste.
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There is growing recognition that government goals, standards, and regulations are needed to enable coordinated action with industry and civil society to reduce plastic waste flows to the ocean. Although addressing plastic pollution in the ocean requires cooperation from a wide range of stakeholders (e.g., producers, retailers, consumers, researchers)
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. Actions to reduce ocean plastic waste at each stage have different effectiveness and costs but together constitute a regional, national, or global strategy for managing plastic wastes in the ocean and the environment (UNEP 2021a)
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Actions in this stage reduce unneces sary plastic wastes, by reducing use of plastic products with short disposable use periods, such as some single-use applications. Such interventions can include product limits and targets for recycling and reuse.
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nvironmental capture is sometimes done after plastic wastes enter E the open ocean. This strategy is very expensive, inefficient, and impractical because of the vast areas over which waste is dispersed, especially plastic waste that has fragmented over time into very small and widely distributed microplastics.
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. The range of interventions to reduce ocean plastic wastes varies in effectiveness and cost relative to benefits for affected communities and environments.
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. Cost of payment for managing plastic wastes in the environment tends to vary along plastics' paths to the ocean.
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In 2020, in response to a range of international actions, including UN resolutions regarding plastic pollution, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issued guidance to assist nations in prioritizing actions to reduce plastic pollution with a more systemic approach, based on a practical understanding of sources of pollution, then matching prioritized "hotspots" (based on data)
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. European Union Recognizing the importance of plastic products to the economy of the EU and the world at large, and plastic pollution's serious harms to the environment and human health, the EU is acting to reduce plastic pollution.
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ROLE IN GLOBAL OCEAN PLASTIC WASTE 3. Plastic waste already in the ocean.
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FIGURE 7.1.2 This map identifies countries that have implemented extended producer responsibility for disposable or single-use plastics.
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This Canada-wide Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste also includes a Canada-wide Action Plan on Extended Producer Responsibility. On June 9, 2018, Canada also joined France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the EU in signing the Ocean Plastics Charter.
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By 2025, the national objective is to establish a "multi-element" co-governance system along with a management system to address the entire life cycle of plastics, from production to waste. China plans for substitutes for plastic products to be further developed and ready for market, to significantly reduce plastic waste destined for landfills, and to decrease plastic pollution (NDRC and MEE 2020)
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) , set for additional updates in 2022 (California Ocean Protection Council and NOAA Marine Debris Program 2018, Wyer 2021)
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EPA) are two federal agencies with relevant legal authorities and significant expertise in plastic pollution, environmental conservation and protection, and waste management.
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ROLE IN GLOBAL OCEAN PLASTIC WASTE U.S. EPA, with roles for NOAA, the U.S.
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contribution to global ocean plastic waste and assess this progress. High-level goals could be tailored to identify and address gaps in the U.S.
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as part of global, U.S., and state greenhouse gas emissions goals Moratorium on new petrochemical plants and capacity to reduce production from fossil feedstocks 2. Innovate Material and Product Design Enforceable product Timebound targets and limits on plastic content of standards for specific products and packaging manufacturers End-of-life material and design specifications (simplification) for some products, packaging to facilitate reuse, recycling Voluntary commitments Government-sponsored research and development and collaborations for collaborations, incentives, and roadmaps (see also innovative material and "Other Activities" below)
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) standards organizations SOS 2.0 Genius Prize for Save our Seas Innovations (Department of Commerce and new Marine Debris Foundation)
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in place in the United States Restrict chasing arrows symbol to items following material standards for that product or material Create enforceable feedstock, performance, and labeling standards for "biodegradable," "compostable," "biobased" products, to prevent consumer confusion and potential "greenwashing" Publicly available assessments of and reports on recycling efficacy (markets for recycled materials and fate of items collected in recycling process) 3. Decrease Waste Generation Plastic product bans (and Ban specific products based upon criteria such as substitutes)
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Federal Trade Commission Green Guides for governments; consumers and Environmental Marketing Claims civil society CA SB 343 (restricts use of the chasing arrows symbol to only those plastic products that are truly recyclable in California) ; CA AB 1201 (restricts manufacturers from making the compostable claim unless the product meets specific compostability criteria)
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Place and maintain receptacles in plastic "hotspot" or high-traffic areas Research and development investment in new methods of depolymerizing plastic waste to promote material/ chemical recovery Plastic waste export/ Limit, ban, or voluntarily eliminate plastic waste exports import controls and imports to incentivize waste reduction Treatment improvements Wastewater treatment standards to remove microplastics to remove plastic waste and microfibers from discharges Products to prevent microfiber releases from equipment (e.g., washing and industrial machines) National Pollutant Stormwater discharge regulations for plastics Discharge Elimination Green infrastructure to filter stormwater System, stormwater limits and treatment Ocean/river discharge Establish regulatory limits on macroplastic or limits microplastic waste in ocean and river discharges
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National, state, and None at federal level (not signatory to Basel tribal governments; Convention) private sector CA AB 881 prevents municipalities from counting plastic waste exports as "recycled" Private industry voluntary commitments (Waste Management, Republic Services)
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Capture Waste (to Remove Plastic Waste from the Environment) Remove wastes from Beach, river, and inland waterway cleanups waterways Trash capture devices in waterways Remove wastes from Ghost net removal; fishing gear return incentives; animal ocean wildlife and and coral disentanglement habitats Remove plastic waste Tire wear particle capture device for roadways from localized hotspots Land-based cleanups Research to identify plastic waste hotspots 6. Minimize Ocean Disposal Increase enforcement for Increase enforcement of dumping and disposal of trash at-sea disposal Reduce at-sea Establish solid waste disposal infrastructure for end-ofabandonment or discard life fishing nets and gear of fishing gear Create incentives for land-based, e.g., dockside, disposal of end-of-life fishing nets, gear, and trash Establish identification/tagging for deployed active and passive fishing nets and pots Other Activities (to Support Above Interventions)
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center ghost net removal, protected species disentanglement U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program funded community-based marine debris removal projects Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research ghost net removal in state of Hawaii The Northwest Straits Foundation ghost net and derelict crab pot removal in Puget Sound State, local, and tribal Cleanup efforts governments Academia, nongovernmental organizations, agencies Global treaty organizations; MARPOL VI; Ocean Dumping Act implementation national, state, local, and measures tribal governments EU Directive 2019/904 provides for EPR and proper disposal of fishing gear made of plastics Various national and state fishing gear marking requirements (e.g., Marine Management Organisation 2016, Ocean Outcomes 2020)
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166 RECKONING WITH THE U.S. ROLE IN GLOBAL OCEAN PLASTIC WASTE TABLE 7.1 Continued Intervention Category Types of Interventions Research and Methods to deliver products without packaging development Industrially compostable and home compostable polymers, films, and adhesives Product design that maximizes circularity and recyclability Circular materials management and leakage characterization to inform upstream interventions Intersectional and interdisciplinary research to prevent litter and illegal dumping Education and outreach Professional outreach, co-production of knowledge to inform solutions at local and regional scales Outreach on efficacy of plastic recycling, labeling, and engaging public in solutions Media, school materials, aquaria, and museums including information on ocean plastics Public behavior-change campaigns Community outreach to identify and address local barriers to prevent litter, illegal dumping a See https://usplasticspact.org/.
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Trash Shouldn't Splashh Space Apps Challenge, e.g., 2021 Challenge– Leveraging AI/ML for Plastic Marine Debris
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