EPA Announces Draft National Plastic Pollution Prevention Strategy
The Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution (Draft Strategy) was released for public comment on May 2, 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Draft Strategy, according to the EPA, contains "ambitious actions to eliminate the release of plastic and other waste from land-based sources into the environment by 2040."
EPA released the Draft Strategy alongside a new White House Interagency Policy Committee (IPC) on Plastic Pollution and a Circular Economy. The IPC will coordinate federal efforts on plastic pollution, prioritizing public health, economic development, environmental justice, and equity to ensure that the benefits of acting on plastic pollution -- including jobs, minimized exposure to harmful chemicals, and clean communities -- are available to all. EPA will host a webinar on May 11, 2023, to provide an overview of the draft strategy and the key questions on which EPA seeks comment. Registration for the webinar is open. Comments on the Draft Strategy are due June 16, 2023.
EPA states that it worked closely with industry leaders and additional stakeholders to identify three key objectives for the Draft Strategy. According to EPA, the proposed actions under each objective support the “United States’ shift to a circular approach that is restorative or regenerative by design, enables resources to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aims to eliminate waste in the management of plastic products.”