While each city’s specific tactics should be customized to local conditions, reduction of pollution at a low cost can be achieved through a combination of leveraging local regulatory authority, requiring retailer responsibility, collaborating with partners and engaging citizens to solve pollution hot spots.ġ. There is simply too much plastic packaging waste generated and cities can’t afford to pay for capture and management of all of it.Ĭities can use proven techniques to decrease the amount of plastic pollution generated and capture it before it spreads to landscapes and waterways. As the sight of overflowing public trash cans becomes commonplace, it’s clear that existing approaches alone fail to stem plastic pollution. Plastic pollution negatively impacts each of these community functions and costs precious taxpayer dollars. Throughout the U.S., local governments are responsible for solid waste management including litter prevention and collection, recycling, storm drain maintenance, tourism promotion, community health, and protecting the local environment. ![]() The problem is growing worse with the increasing trend to “convenient” consumption and the massive expansion of cheap new plastic production in the U.S. Even when broken down, the plastic can remain in the environment and the food chain. ![]() Environmental Protection Agency, the average plastic bag takes up to 1,000 years to break down. In the U.S., analysis of items collected during cleanups of beaches and rivers shows that disposable plastic items used “on-the-go” are most commonly found: plastic bags, cigarette butts, bottles, caps, straws, food wrappers and food containers. The smart, sustainable strategy is to look upstream at the root of the problem and stop it before it starts. The time has come to move beyond blaming litterbugs and relying on volunteers to lead community cleanups after the pollution has occurred. ‘First Flush’ Shows the Reality of Plastic Pollution in Los Angeles, CAĬhattanooga Creek still full of trash despite volunteer efforts “Plastic bags, litter seem to be the main culprits”. Tennessee River is among the most polluted in the world. Experts estimate that 300,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste from the United States (U.S.) pollute the ocean every year, which is about 65 dump trucks of plastic waste per day. Plastic pollution is a blight in our cities and landscapes and is harming our rivers and oceans.
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