US Plastics Pact Releases Anticipated 'Problematic' Plastics List
Waste Dive by Megan Quinn | January 25, 2022
PVC, PS and PFAS-containing packaging are among the items targeted for phase-out by 2025. Some see the list as a positive circular economy driver, but others think it's counterproductive.
The U.S. Plastics Pact has identified 11 plastic packaging items in its new Problematic and Unnecessary Materials list that are “not currently reusable, recyclable, or compostable at scale in the U.S.” and likely will not be by 2025. The pact calls for these items to be phased out by that year.
The group, part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's (EMF) worldwide Plastics Pact network, announced the list on Tuesday as the first step in its broader goal to speed up circular economy strategies for plastic in the U.S. The pact is led by The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund and includes about 100 members, known as voluntary "activators," such as the Solid Waste Association of North America, National Waste and Recycling Association, Northeast Recycling Council, Nestle, TerraCycle, Coca-Cola, Clorox, Walmart, local governments and others.