"National Parks To Phase Out Single-Use Plastics"

"In a major move, the Biden administration will phase out the sale of single-use plastics across the country’s beloved national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands, in a multiyear process that will culminate by 2032.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced this morning that her department will reduce and eventually phase out the procurement, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products like water bottles across 480 million acres. Order 3407 will also direct the Interior Department to identify alternatives to those products that are nonhazardous and more environmentally friendly. That could include materials that are compostable, biodegradable or fully recycled.

Haaland said in a statement that her department “has an obligation to play a leading role in reducing the impact of plastic waste” across fragile ecosystems, including oceans. Of the more than 400 national park sites, 88 are ocean or coast-based."

E.A. Crunden reports for E&E News June 8, 2022.

Source: E&E News, 06/09/2022