WASHINGTON, DC (March 23, 2023)–In response to the announcement that the Biden administration is setting a goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials, Kate Melges, Greenpeace USA Plastics Project Lead, said: “While it is encouraging to see the Biden administration take initial steps to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, they missed the mark. This plan does not begin to match the scale of the problem. By focusing on bioplastics and recycling, the administration is not addressing the root cause of the plastic pollution problem: we need to stop producing single-use plastics and switch to refill and reuse systems, not pursue false solutions like recycling and materials substitution. Greenpeace USA research has made it clear that plastics recycling is a dead end street.
Governments around the world are now negotiating a Global Plastics Treaty, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. The Biden administration has a huge opportunity to support a legally binding global treaty that caps plastic production and prioritizes reuse and refill. Anything less will result in more pollution from plastics production poisoning our communities, and more plastics clogging our oceans. The decision President Biden makes on this critical issue will help define his legacy–as someone who helped put an end to this crisis, or someone who let it spiral further out of control.
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Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace, USA, 703-342-9226 / [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
