LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) –The US government has announced a plan to phase out the purchases and use of single-use plastics from all federal operations by 2035.
The White House, in a statement on July 19, said the phase-out would start with a goal to end federal procurement of single-use plastics from food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027.
The government said the new procurement policies represent the latest domestic initiative aimed at tackling the issue of plastic pollution.
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It highlighted several policies announced in the past that are designed to address various aspects of plastic pollution, including fossil fuel-intensive polymer production, recycling efforts, and the removal of plastic waste from oceans.
Brenda Mallory, head of the White House council on environmental quality, said the changes would “require unprecedented action at every stage of the plastic life cycle”.
The White House added that because of its purchasing power, “the federal government has the potential to significantly impact the supply of these products”.
Already, 12 states in the US, including California, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York, have adopted plastic bag bans.
