The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is calling for the creation of a national extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework for plastics, an increased emphasis on the environmental and health impacts for communities near plastics plants and a more thorough accounting of plastics that end up in waterways.
The proposals are part of the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution released Nov. 21 by President Joe Biden's administration.
"EPA's new strategy to prevent plastic pollution will have a profound impact on public health and our environment, especially in overburdened communities hit hardest," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in an overview of the policy. "From reducing cancer-causing pollution from plastic manufacturing facilities, to increasing industry's accountability to take back recycled plastic packaging, to capturing waste before it ends up in our bodies and the environment, this strategy lays out the path forward for EPA and our partners to tackle this persistent challenge."
It remains unclear what an incoming Donald Trump administration will do with the strategy. Trump's pick for EPA chief is Lee Zeldin, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is ready to work "to unleash U.S. energy dominance."
Much of the language seems to echo that of a draft version of the proposal released in April 2023 which emphasized a need for more action to reduce the effects of every cycle of the plastic production industry, from the oil and gas industry to the collection and recycling of products at their end of life.
It also repeats previous calls for the federal government to consider alternatives to single-use plastics in government spending but does not call for a ban.
Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers, the plastics group within the American Chemistry Council, noted that the industry trade group shares EPA's goal to prevent plastic in the environment.
"We support many aspects of the EPA's strategy, especially its alignment with key elements of our 'Five Actions for Sustainable Change' — such as modernizing and expanding our recycling capacity, enhancing public education and the need for a national extended producer responsibility framework," Eisenberg noted in a news release. "However, some components of the agency's strategy could inadvertently lead to the outsourcing of U.S. manufacturing. A circular economy for plastics needs to keep America competitive and keep jobs here."
The strategy does not lay out specifics of most policies, instead referring to the potential of what federal, state, tribal and local governments "could" do going forward. But it also leaves room for future negotiations.
On chemical recycling, for instance, EPA continues its "long-standing position that the agency does not consider activities that convert non-hazardous solid waste to fuels or fuel substitutes [known as plastics-to-fuel] or for energy production to be 'recycling' activities,"
But it also goes on to state that "public commenters on the draft strategy have noted the importance of material retention thresholds, proven scalability and analysis of cumulative impacts when considering chemical and thermal processing technologies for making new plastics," that would leave the door open for chemical recycling of plastics back into plastics.
To boost mechanical recycling, EPA "recognizes EPR as an example of a policy approach that has been effective at achieving circularity goals, including reduction and reuse goals, in other countries at the national and subnational levels."
It proposes that the federal agency should work with local, state, territorial and tribal governments as well as nongovernmental organizations and "other relevant partners to develop a national EPR framework to help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of those policies."
A framework developed from that study would be used to identify best practices.
It also goes on to consider a bigger push for deposit refund systems (DRS), or bottle bills, citing existing successful programs in states such as Oregon.
"With thoughtful policy alignment, DRS can complement EPR programs to further boost recycling rates and incentivize consumer behavior change," the report notes.
Some environmental groups responded to the strategy by urging quick action.
"The strategy provides an initial road map of action, and we need federal, state and local policies to implement the strongest solutions," Christy Leavitt, plastics campaign director for the group Oceana, said in a news release.
The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) said in a release that it welcomed the framework which "reflects increased ambition and action. … A whole-of-government approach to stopping plastic pollution is what this moment requires to protect our communities and keep plastic out of nature."