US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order Wednesday to move all agency assets to eliminate plastic containers within a decade.
The order affects all national parks, lakeshores, monuments and other properties operated by the Department of the Interior.
In northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, which includes Voyagers National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, and other heavily visited areas.
Order number 3407 aims to “reduce the purchase, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging” with the goal of eliminating single-use plastic products by 2032. These include plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic bags designed to be used once or discarded.
The order also directs the department to identify non-hazardous, environmentally better alternatives to single-use plastic products, such as compostable or biodegradable materials or 100% recycled materials.
“The Department of the Interior has an obligation to play a leading role in reducing the impact of plastic waste on our ecosystems and our climate,” Haaland said in the announcement. We want to phase out single-use plastic products to protect our natural environment.”
The US The National Park Service handles an average of about 70 million pounds of waste annually. Plastics make up half of Yellowstone National Park’s waste. According to the nonprofit Environment America Group, four out of five visitors surveyed said they would support a ban on single-use plastic bottles in parks.
“Single-use products like foam cups and containers don’t belong in our treasured outdoor spaces. We thank Secretary Haaland for setting the inspiring goal of eliminating plastic waste, but 2032 is too long to wait for plastic-free parks, said Kelsey Lampe, Campaign Director for Environment America. “We urge the Biden administration to stop wasting wildlife and move even more quickly on this excellent initiative.”
Interior Department officials said plastic waste is a priority environmental problem. Less than 10% of the plastic that has been produced so far has been recycled, and the recycling rate is stable.
The announcement was made on World Oceans Day.
“Plastics, including unnecessary and easily substituted single-use plastic products, are ravaging fish and wildlife around the world,” the agency said in the statement. “Of the more than 300 million tons of plastic produced each year for use in a variety of applications, at least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year and plastics make up 80 percent of all marine debris found from surface waters.” Makes % for deep-sea sediments.”
