On December 18, 2020, it was announced by the US White House administration that a Senate bill is known as the “Save Our Seas 2.0 Act” (S. 1982) was signed into law that focuses on reducing plastic pollution. News provider Waste Dive describes that the bill will provide $55 million per annum in funding to improve “local post-consumer materials management” including local recycling programs and to support waste management authorities. It would further provide $10 million per year to local governments and non-profits for programs creating “trash-free waters,” such as anti-littering campaigns. The bill further establishes a new national Marine Debris Foundation and an innovation prize.
While chemical and plastic manufacturers are reported as praising the bill as a much-needed investment at a time when exporting plastic waste is increasingly restricted, civil society groups have continued to criticize the bill as not addressing the real problem – excessive production of single-use plastics.
The new bill builds on a first version of the Save Our Seas Act passed in 2018. Since then, various drafts have been discussed in an attempt to reach an agreement on expanding the bill (FPF reported), and calls have been growing for the US to take concrete steps for improving its waste management and recycling infrastructure (FPF reported).
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Katie Pyzyk (December 18, 2020). “Trump signs Save Our Seas 2.0, giving plastics recycling infrastructure potential boost.” Waste Dive
US White House (December 18, 2020). “Bill Announcement.”
Reference
US Congress (December 18, 2020). “S.1982 – Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.”
