A new United Nations report confirms what SEEC members of Congress have been working on for months: As bad as the plastic pollution in the ocean is, our soils are even worse.
John,
A new United Nations report confirms what SEEC members of Congress have been working on for months: As bad as the plastic pollution in the ocean is, our soils are even worse.
It’s estimated that 80 percent of plastics found in marine environments are first disposed of on land.
According to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report, agricultural production is a growing source of global plastic use, accounting for 3.5 percent of global plastic production. The report estimates that in 2019 the agriculture sector used 12.5 million tons of plastic.
The danger arises from commonly used agricultural products, such as non-biodegradable plastic mulching films, greenhouse films, and polymer-coated slow-release fertilizers, which leave behind pieces of plastic when they break down in the soil.
These pieces have yet-to-be-determined potentially dangerous implications for human health and surrounding ecosystems.
John, the Vice-Chair of the SEEC, Rep. Alan Lowenthal, continues to work on passing the ‘Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act,’ which he introduced last year.
Pro-environment advocates call it a “sweeping piece of legislation” that will significantly reduce the manufacturing of new plastic.
The FAO report reinforces the urgency of passing this legislation in the House and the Senate and sending it to President Biden for his signature.
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