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Controversial Plastics Legislation Proposed

Federal legislators propose the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, which puts the economic burden of recycling in the hands of CPGs and packaging suppliers and halts all new investments in plastics production plants.

Congress
On Feb. 11, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), backed by more than 30 Democrat legislators, unveiled the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020.

On Feb. 11, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), backed by more than 30 Democrat legislators, unveiled the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, proposed legislation that, if adopted, will result in economic consequences for CPGs, packaging suppliers, and plastics manufacturers. Said Lowenthal, “Recent scientific studies show that plastic waste particles are now found everywhere we look—in the soil, in the rainwater, in the food chain, and even inside our own bodies. Our legislation applies one of the core principles of environmental law: ‘the polluter pays.’ It is time for multi-billion companies to step up and cover the costs of cleaning up the waste from their products.”

In a background brief provided to the press, the sponsors of the legislation write, “Rather than reducing the waste they create or taking responsibility for its management, producers have shifted the responsibility for managing waste to government entities whose budgets are already stretched thin. Meanwhile, industry has promoted pollution reduction strategies that put even more burden on taxpayers instead of taking responsibility themselves… .”


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