Plastic pollution in the United States is a major problem. Everyday billions of plastic items are thrown away and end up in landfills and eventually in our oceans. The Ocean Conservancy is an organization working towards safeguarding our oceans. They have a campaign called the annual International Coastal Cleanup that every American should participate in. You can also be part of this cause by picking up trash whenever you see it. Plastics can be recycled!

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that around 8 million tons of plastic waste ends up in landfills every single year. The EPA also reports that around 80% of litter is plastic. This figure is triple the amount of plastic that was found in 1980. A 2015 study published in the journal Science revealed that there are over 5 trillion pieces of debris floating in our oceans right now. The study also noted that if action isn’t taken, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. The EPA also states that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled in the US.

What Are The Plastic Pollution Process  Handled  By Us Government In USA

In 2016 the US government started a campaign regarding plastic pollution. The campaign encourages the citizens to choose for recyclable products. The campaign is named ““ and it promotes people to recycle the plastic products. The government is planning to reduce the consumption of plastic products by 50% by the year 2025.

The US government has enacted two laws for plastic pollution management. The most important is the Clean Water Act which was enacted in 1972 to protect the country’s water resources. The law was enacted to control the discharge of pollutants in water bodies and the transport of pollutants by water. It was the first federal law to limit pollutants that are discharged into waterways. The law also provides methods to monitor and control the level of contaminants in water.

What Is Being Done About Plastic Pollution?

Plastic pollution has been a problem for decades now. It is generally caused by people throwing plastic waste on the ground or in the sea, confusing it for something else. But plastic is not compostable, so the waste can’t degrade. It just breaks into smaller bits, so the problem is still there. Plastic is also used for many other things like for food packaging and cosmetics. Those in the USA are recycling an average of 64% of their plastic waste. This is a good amount, but there is still room for improvement. In California, plastic waste has been found in over 50% of animals that live in the sea. That is why there have been efforts to try and reduce plastic use as well as recycle more. Scientists are trying to create a bacteria that could break down plastic in the sea, but that could take decades. For now, it’s important for us to keep our plastic waste under control.

Ways To Reduce Plastic Pollution

But, you can always use cloth bags when you are shopping. You may buy some fruits and vegetables that don’t need any plastic wrapping. You can also use rechargeable batteries for your electronic products. You can also avoid buying bottled water. You can just drink directly from the tap/faucet. If you need bottled water, then you should buy reusable bottles. You can also avoid using single-use plastic things like straws, disposable utensils, flexible plastic bags etc.