Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland released Secretary’s Order 3407 today, which intends to minimize the purchase, sale, and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging, with the goal of phasing them out on Department-managed lands by 2032.
The Executive Order is part of President Biden’s Executive Order 14057, which directs government agencies to reduce waste and promote recycled-product markets.
The Order also instructs the Department to identify non-hazardous, environmentally preferable alternatives to single-use plastics, such as compostable or biodegradable materials, or materials that are 100 percent recycled.
Plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery, and throwaway plastic bags are examples of single-use plastic products that are designed to be used once and discarded.
“The Department of the Interior has a responsibility to take the lead in decreasing the impact of plastic waste on our ecosystems and climate.”
We are well positioned to do better for our Earth as stewards of the nation’s public lands, including national parks and national wildlife refuges, and as the agency responsible for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats,” said Secretary Haaland.
“As we aim to conserve our natural environment and the communities around it, today’s Order will ensure that the Department’s sustainability objectives include decisive action on phasing out single-use plastic goods.”
Plastic trash is a significant environmental issue. Only about ten percent of all plastic generated has ever been recycled, and recycling rates are not growing. Plastics, including single-use plastics that are unnecessary and easily replaced, are wreaking havoc on fish and wildlife all over the world.
Our ocean is downstream from all pollution sources and bears the brunt of the consequences: out of the more than 300 million tons of plastic produced each year for a variety of uses, at least 14 million tons end up in the ocean each year, and plastic accounts for 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change by ingesting or enttangling marine species, causing severe injuries and death.
Paper, bioplastics, and composite bags, as well as reusable fabric or thicker plastic equivalents, can be used to replace single-use plastic bags. Bottles made of bio-based plastic, glass, aluminum, and laminated cartons, as well as reusable bottles made of glass, aluminum, or stainless steel, can be used to replace single-use plastic bottles.
Similar materials can be used to replace single-use plastic in food packaging, beverage cups, tableware, and other products, providing the Interior Department with a variety of options to consider as part of its effort to account for the wide range of geographic locations and social contexts in which Departmental facilities operate.