
90% of seabirds have ingested some form of plastic. Ingestion can lead to digestive blockages. Plasticosis—a newly identified disease in seabirds linked to plastic—can also cause harm by creating inflammation in the digestive tract of seabirds. Reducing plastic pollution is critical to conserving seabirds and reducing incidents of ingestion and plasticosis.
Right now, Congress is considering a series of bills that would address plastic pollution and protect people and wildlife. These bills range from enhancing marine debris clean-up efforts to mandating corporate responsibility for plastic waste. Several plastic bills have been introduced in Congress that could mitigate plastic pollution and its harmful effects, including:
- Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (S.3127/H.R.6053), which would mandate corporate responsibility for pollution, single-use plastic reduction, a national beverage container refund program, grant programs, and pausing construction of new plastic facilities.
- REDUCE Act (S.2844/H.R.5564), which would establish an excise tax on virgin plastic resin and a Plastic Waste Reduction Fund.
- Reducing Waste in National Parks Act (S.2728/H.R.4561), which would direct the National Park Service to create a program to reduce and, in certain cases, eliminate the use of disposable plastic products across the park system.
- Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act (S.2337/H.R.7634), which would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to initiate a rulemaking to set national discharge limits for plastic pellets, small pre-production plastics.
Act now: Encourage Congress to advance these bills that would combat plastic pollution!