It’s Kuhl To Recycle: Positively Plastic

Press Lawmakers To Respect Our Environment

By Mark Kuhl

For the GPHN

Several UN member states endorsed a resolution in 2022 to end global plastics pollution and forge a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024.

This agreement, which we’ve also detailed in a previous column, is taking longer than expected and is now planned for next year.

While we wait for this important global framework, a concerned group of U.S. legislators are honing a policy solution for plastic pollution. The Break Free from Plastics Pollution Act was first introduced in 2020 and subsequent bills by the same name have evolved into the latest reintroduction last year. The proposal includes solutions that will better protect impacted communities, reform our recycling system and shift the financial burden of waste management to the producers of plastic pollution.

It’s easy to be pessimistic about the ability of Congress to enact good environmental policy, but let’s stay positive and continue to encourage our leaders to enact policy that respects our environment.

Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.