Break Free From Plastic - Summer

Team Members: Elise Birde, Amy Calitz, Briana Fowler-Puja, Avery Kayle, Aidan McKean, Liza Roberts, Meredith Spector, Ranganath Srinivasan, Aliya Tuzhilin, Evelyn Vivar, Linda Wang, Max Lulavy, Tessa Owens

Plastic production and waste have expanded rapidly in recent decades, creating significant environmental, public health, and climate risks across the entire plastic lifecycle. Plastic production is directly tied to fossil fuel extraction and contributes substantial greenhouse gas emissions, with global emissions from plastic projected to reach 3.1 billion tons annually by 2050 if current trends continue. In the United States, only about 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled, while the remainder is landfilled, incinerated, or released into the environment, where it fragments into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems and food systems. Plastic pollution also disproportionately affects low-income and frontline communities located near production facilities, waste sites, and polluted waterways.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act introduces a comprehensive federal framework to address these systemic failures by shifting responsibility for plastic waste management from consumers to producers. Extended Producer Responsibility provisions incentivize companies to reduce plastic use, redesign products, and invest in recycling and alternative materials. Standardized labeling requirements, restrictions on certain single-use plastics, and improved waste management systems strengthen national coordination and effectiveness. Analysis demonstrates that producer accountability significantly improves recycling rates, reduces environmental pollution, and lowers lifecycle emissions. Supporting innovation in bioplastics, recycling technologies, and waste reduction strategies further enhances long-term sustainability. By transforming the plastic lifecycle from a linear to a circular system, the Act provides a scalable pathway to reduce environmental damage, improve public health outcomes, and align waste management with climate mitigation goals.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.