The usage of single-use plastics in goods that the federal government purchases may be subject to restrictions under the Biden administration.
In a warning released on Thursday, the General Services Administration (GSA), which regulates federal government procurement, stated that it may limit the purchases.
Plastics for one-time use make up a sizable portion of global garbage. According to a survey published by an Australian NGO last year, more than 130 million metric tonnes of single-use plastics were discarded globally in 2019.
The GSA requested input from the public regarding single-use plastics used in agency contracts as well as packing and shipping plastics in its notice.
In order to reduce “unnecessary” single-use plastic, notably in packaging and shipping materials, it was said that this information will be used to shape a future rule that establishes requirements and reporting methods.
The notice comes after the Interior Department took a separate action to phase out single-use plastics in public lands and national parks by 2032.
Following a formal request from environmental organizations for the government to address the issue, the GSA has now taken the latest action.
The petition’s creator, Emily Jeffers, described the notification as “promising” in a press release.
According to Jeffers, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, “I think this tremendously encouraging development heralds the beginning of a federal commitment to strike at the source of the plastic pollution catastrophe.”
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