Tell Congress It’s Time for Comprehensive Plastic Pollution Legislation

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

Less than 10 percent of single-use plastics were recycled in 2019.¹

The rest went to landfills, were burned in incinerators or were left uncollected, with approximately 8 million tons making their way to the sea.²

Nothing we use for a few minutes should be allowed to pollute our oceans and rivers and threaten wildlife for centuries. That’s why PennEnvironment is urging Congress to take bold action to curb plastic pollution.

Tell your federal legislators that it’s time for comprehensive legislation on plastic pollution at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=35530.

Plastic waste often accumulates in rivers and is carried to the sea. There, it litters our beaches, contaminates water, and harms or even kills marine wildlife.

For a bird or fish or turtle, it’s easy to mistake a small piece of plastic for food — especially when there are millions of plastic pieces floating in our waterways. Scientists have found plastic fragments in hundreds of species, including every species of sea turtle and 44 percent of all seabird species.^3,4

Nearly half of all marine mammal species have also been affected. In December, a dead sperm whale washed ashore on a Scottish island with more than 220 pounds of plastic waste in its stomach — including rope, fishing nets, shopping bags and bottles.⁵

Send a message urging your U.S. representative and senators to support federal plastics legislation.

2019 saw a lot of plastic pollution. It also saw positive action.

Legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (N.M.) and U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (Calif.) contains sweeping measures to protect wildlife and waterways from plastic pollution. The bill would ban many of the worst single-use plastics, including plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam take-out containers, and place a moratorium on new plastic-producing facilities.⁶

This proposal has the potential to drastically reduce our country’s reliance on plastic. Sandy, we’ll need your help to ensure it’s introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Join our campaign to put wildlife over waste. Take action today.

1. John Vidal, “The plastic polluters won 2019 — and we’re running out of time to stop them,” The Guardian, January 2, 2020.
2. John Vidal, “The plastic polluters won 2019 — and we’re running out of time to stop them,” The Guardian, January 2, 2020.
3. Emily M. Duncan, Annette C. Broderick, Wayne J. Fuller, Tamara S. Galloway et al., “Microplastic ingestion ubiquitous in marine turtles,” Wiley Online Library, December 4, 2018.
4. “Wildlife Over Waste,” Environment America, last accessed January 7, 2020.
5. Lateshia Beachum, “Dead sperm whale had 220 pounds of garbage in its stomach, including rope, plastic and gloves,” The Washington Post, December 2, 2019.
6. “Udall, Lowenthal Seek Input on Landmark Legislation to Address the Global Plastic Waste Crisis,” Sen. Tom Udall press releases, October 31, 2019.