Congress of the lilttiteh Estates
Ineliiugtmt, 33? 211515

June 5, 2019

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to urge you to develop a coordinated interagency research and response
plan to address the signi?cant threat that mismanaged plastic waste poses to human health,'
public budgets, and to the sustainability of our planet and waterways. At a lunch for the
bipartisan International Conservation Caucus earlier this year, attended by both Senate and
House members, there was uni?ed concern and call to action from both parties in both chambers
regarding the global plastic pollution problem.

Since its invention in 1907, plastics have played an important role in our society. Plastics
are present in almost every product we rely on and are essential across numerous industries. The
durability and long-lasting nature of plastic, which makes it a useful and versatile material in our
daily lives, also allows it to persist in land?lls and in aquatic environments for decades to
centuries, and to bioaccumulate in aquatic food webs that nourish vast populations.

The abundance of natural gas production in the U.S. has reduced the cost of plastic
production and expanded its use to nonessential disposable purposes. Waste management
infrastructure is not keeping up with the proliferation of products in single-use plastic packaging
now offered to consumers. One important contributor to the plastic epidemic is single-use
consumer packaging products used conveniently and ?on-the-go? that have a lifespan of an hour
or less.

Consumption of these packaging products is growing at about 5% per year,2 but they are
generally unable to be economically recycled because they are dirty, dispersed and mixed plastic
materials. In the U.S. in 2018, 0.67 pounds of plastic was wasted per person per day, totaling
39.9 million tons of plastic each year. Unfortunately, the spread of single-use plastic products
has led to widespread pollution of plastic in the US. and has caused a growing ?nancial burden
on state agencies, local governments and taxpayers for remediation. We believe that a robust
strategy to limit single-use plastics domestically can reduce plastic pollution in America while
serving as an example for other countries to follow.

Many citizens strongly support recycling, but plastics recycling is not a realistic solution
to the plastic pollution crisis. Most post-consumer plastics are economically impractical to

 

Vethaak, A. Dick, and Heather A. Leslie. "Plastic debris is a human health issue." {2016}: 68256326.

2 MarketWatch, Flexible Plastic Packaging Market Industry Growth Analysis 8: Forecast by 2024, available at



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recycle based on market conditions alone. The costs of recycling (trucks, drivers, equipment, and
sorting labor) are increasing while low-cost, abundant natural gas and new plastic production
expansion is driving the prices of new plastics lower. Mechanical and chemical recycling
processes of most plastic waste are economically uncompetitive and impractical at commercial
scale. The economic reality is that most waste plastic does not have suf?cient value to drive
reclaiming it.

Proper waste management infrastructure and practices do their best to keep trash
contained and out of oceans and waterways, but at extremely high costs to our state and local
governments. Across the U.S., state and local governments spend between $3.2 and $7.9 billion
annually on plastic bag litter alone.3 Disposing of plastic bag waste in land?lls alone can cost
states millions of dollars a year, the costs of which fall to the public and taxpayers, diverting
valuable resources and funds that could be used for other means.

In developing countries, the plastic pollution problem is compounded by waste that is
inadequately disposed or mismanaged at unsecure dump sites. These plastic waste streams are at
risk of being carried to coastlines from inland waterways and entering the ocean via wind or tidal
activity. Approximately 8.8 million tons of plastic makes its way into the oceans annually, and
this number is expected to double by 203 0.4

Estimates are there are over 268,940 tons of plastic currently ?oating at sea.5 Some of
the plastics that enter our rivers and oceans begin as large pieces of litter, such as a plastic bag or
bottle, but break down into smaller and smaller pieces by wind and tides, eventually becoming
microplastics mm in diameter) and nanoplastics (scale of a thousandth of a mm).

The behaviors and potential impacts of micro? and nanoplastics that enter the ocean are
troubling. These tiny particles of plastic in the aquatic environment can be easily consumed by
marine life and penetrate the blood-brain harrierf? thereby accumulating in the organs and
tissueslF of those organisms that ingested them. The absorption of toxic chemicals from ingested
nanoplastics could then be passed onto humans that consume ?sh or shellfish.3 This concern
isn?t limited to seafood and other sources of wildlife that humans consume. Recent studies have

 

3 Rebecca Taylor, It?s Not Easy Being Green: Lessons from Disposable Carryout Bag Regulations (Spring 2017),
available at a928pdf

4 Jambeck, et. al, ?Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean?, (2015), available at


5 Eriksen, et. ?Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over
250,000 Tons A?oat at Sea?, {2014), available at


5 Mattsson, Karin et ?Brain Damage and Behavioural Disorders in Fish induced by Plastic Nanoparticlcs
Delivered through the Food Chain.? Scienti?c Reports 7 [452. PMC. Web. 2 Nov. 201?.

7 Von Moos, Nadia, Patricia BurkltardtuHoltn, and Angela Kohler. "Uptake and effects of microplastics on cells and
tissue of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. after an experimental exposure." Environmental science technology 46,
no. 20 (2012): 11327-11335.

3 Chen, Qiqing, Daqiang Yin. Yunlu .lia, Sabrina Schiwy, Jessica Legradi, Shouye Yang, and Henner Hollert.
"Enhanced uptake of EPA in the presence of nanoplastics can lead to neurotoxic effects in adult zebra?sh." Science
oftite Total Environment 609 (2017): 1312-1321.

found that 90% of all table salt contains microplastics. The bioaccumulation of chemical toxins
from plastics that threaten human health requires an urgent response by the United States.

We believe that a well-coordinated and well-funded interagency research plan, coupled
with robust investments in our response programs, is essential to address the domestic and global
plastic pollution crisis at both a human health level and at an ocean conservation level. We urge
you to consider organizing the National Academy of Sciences, National Institutes of
Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and other relevant agencies to allow our nation?s top researchers to
both strategize about and combat our nation?s and the world?s plastics pollution problem.

Plastic is a versatile material that provides for a multitude of uses across many industries
and aspects of modern society. However, we need to acknowledge and address the ?end of life?
challenges that exist with plastic products and packaging, and prioritize the scienti?c research.
and actionable information needed to inform policy solutions. We recommend that departments
and agencies across the federal government develop a coordinated interagency research and
response plan to address this growing problem. By taking immediate action now, the United
States can make progress toward mitigating this threat to the health and well-being of all
Americans.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

 

 

Respectfully,
O?ya 2' ?ak, m?f/Cg
Tom Udall Alan Lowenthal
United States Senate Member of Congress