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Plastic waste is piling up at a daunting pace around the world. The World Bank estimates that every person on the planet generates an average of 1.6 pounds (0.74 kilograms) of plastic waste daily.
To curb this flow, 175 nations are negotiating a binding international treaty on plastic pollution, with a completion target of late 2024. In July 2024, the Biden administration released the first U.S. plan for addressing this problem.
Summary
- The new U.S. strategy covers five areas: plastic production, product design, waste generation, waste management and plastic capture and removal.
- As the world’s largest economy, the U.S. is a critical player in this effort.
- There is currently no federal standard for measuring microplastics in various media, such as water and soil, so studies lack standardized definitions, methods and reporting techniques.
