116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4636 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of State and the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment to prioritize and advance efforts to improve waste 
management systems and prevent and reduce plastic 
waste and marine debris, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Partnering and 
Leveraging Assistance to Stop Trash for International 
Cleaner Seas Act’’ or the ‘‘PLASTICS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Eight million metric tons of plastic enter 
the ocean every year. Marine debris damages the 
health of marine life, impedes local economic devel-
opment, and threatens health systems. Ten river sys-
tems carry an estimated 90 percent of the river- 
based plastic waste that ends up in the ocean. 
(2) Mismanaged plastic waste has the highest 
risk of contaminating rivers and oceans. China con-
tributes the largest share of this mismanaged waste, 
followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, 
Thailand, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. The 
United States is the world’s second-largest producer 
and consumer of plastics products, and the top ex-
porter of plastic scrap. 
(3) Most marine debris, particularly plastics, 
enters the oceans from land-based sources, mainly in 
developing countries, that lack the capacity to ade-
quately manage waste and prevent dumping. 
(4) During the Our Ocean Conference in Octo-
ber 2018, the United States announced assistance to
prevent marine debris from entering the ocean 
through development of waste management systems 
and reduce plastics in marine protected areas in the 
Indo-Pacific. 
(5) During the June 2019 G20 Summit in 
Osaka, Japan, the United States joined other G20 
members in endorsing the ‘‘Osaka Blue Ocean Vi-
sion’’ to reduce additional pollution by marine plas-
tic litter to zero by 2050 and the G20 Implementa-
tion Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Lit-
ter, which outlines a commitment to prevent and re-
duce plastic debris in the oceans through waste man-
agement and clean-up efforts to remove marine plas-
tic debris and prioritizes efforts to advance innova-
tive solutions and international cooperation to sup-
port such initiatives. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to consult, part-
ner, and coordinate with the governments of foreign coun-
tries, international organizations, private and civil society 
entities, and other stakeholders in a concerted effort to— 
(1) prevent and reduce marine debris and plas-
tic waste, including through reduced consumption, 
greater transparency in global trade of plastic waste,
and support for integrated waste management sys-
tems in developing countries; 
(2) advance innovative market-based solutions 
and catalyze private capital to prevent and reduce 
marine debris and plastic waste, support integrated 
waste management systems, and improve market de-
mand for recycled material; 
(3) build the capacity of national and sub-
national governments in other countries to develop 
and implement integrated waste management sys-
tems, measure and report progress in reducing plas-
tic waste, and prevent plastic waste from entering 
rivers and oceans; 
(4) support local economic development through 
programs that assist community members, particu-
larly women, youth, and marginalized populations, to 
derive economic benefit from waste products and 
participation in waste management systems; and 
(5) engage in international and regional co-
operation to prevent and reduce marine debris and 
plastic waste, share best practices, and empower na-
tional and subnational governments, local commu-
nities, civil society, and the private sector to engage 
in such efforts.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that, in pursuing the pol-
icy described in section 3, the President should direct 
United States representatives to appropriate international 
bodies to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United 
States to advocate support for the following: 
(1) Efforts to improve transparency in global 
trade of plastic waste, improve plastic waste regula-
tion to ensure the safety of humans and the environ-
ment, strengthen integrated waste management sys-
tems, and prevent, reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic 
waste, to the extent practical. 
(2) Collaborative approaches to establish meas-
urable targets and objectives, with related action 
plans, for reducing marine debris and plastic waste 
from all sources and sharing best practices in waste 
prevention and management systems to prevent plas-
tic waste. 
SEC. 5. UNITED STATES SUPPORT TO IMPROVE WASTE 
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND PREVENT AND 
REDUCE MARINE DEBRIS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State and the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development, in coordination with the heads of 
relevant Federal departments and agencies, are authorized 
to prioritize and advance ongoing global efforts to—
(1) prevent and reduce marine debris and plas-
tic waste, including through reduced consumption, 
greater transparency in global trade of plastic waste, 
and support for integrated waste management sys-
tems in developing countries; 
(2) advance innovative market-based solutions 
and catalyze private capital to prevent and reduce 
marine debris and plastic waste, support integrated 
waste management systems, and improve market de-
mand for recycled material; 
(3) build the capacity of national and sub-
national governments in other countries to develop 
and implement integrated waste management sys-
tems, measure and report progress in reducing plas-
tic waste, and prevent plastic waste from entering 
rivers and oceans; and 
(4) support local economic development through 
programs that assist community members, particu-
larly women, youth, and marginalized populations, to 
derive economic benefit from waste products and 
participation in waste management systems. 
(b) COORDINATION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR.—The 
Secretary and the Administrator, in coordination with the 
Chief Executive Officer of the United States International 
Development Finance Corporation and the Chief Execu-
tive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation and 
in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal depart-
ments and agencies, are authorized and encouraged to 
work with entities in the private sector and with non-
governmental organizations to leverage sources of public 
and private capital to complement the efforts described in 
subsection (a), including by financing infrastructure in-
vestments, supporting capacity-building activities, and en-
tering into cost-sharing, cost-matching, and other coopera-
tive agreements to support and finance such efforts. 
(c) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.—The Secretary 
and the Administrator shall establish monitoring and eval-
uation mechanisms, including measurable goals, objec-
tives, and benchmarks, to ensure the effective use of 
United States foreign assistance to achieve the objectives 
described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection (a). 
(d) DOMESTIC RESOURCE MOBILIZATION.—In car-
rying out the authority under subsection (a), the Secretary 
and the Administrator, in coordination with the heads of 
relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall seek to 
provide technical assistance to mobilize the domestic re-
sources of recipient countries in order to increase cost- 
sharing, self-reliance, and host country ownership of waste 
prevention and management programs.
(e) COST LIMITATION.—No additional funds are au-
thorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Ad-
ministrator, in consultation with the heads of relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, shall jointly submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report on on-
going programs and monitoring and evaluation mecha-
nisms to carry out the authority under subsection (a) that 
includes a description of— 
(1) the monitoring and evaluation plans and in-
dicators used to measure performance of assistance 
programs, in accordance with subsection (d); 
(2) best practices and lessons learned in imple-
menting the efforts authorized under subsection (a); 
(3) the extent to which recipient countries have 
demonstrated a commitment and willingness to co-
operate to advance the efforts described in sub-
section (a) and to dedicate resources to support 
waste prevention and management initiatives; 
(4) the extent to which host country govern-
ments and other governments in the region are in-
vesting resources to advance initiatives to prevent or 
reduce marine debris and plastic waste and develop 
integrated waste management systems; and
(5) the extent to which other funding sources, 
including through private sector investment, have 
been identified to advance waste prevention and 
management initiatives. 
(g) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 
SEC. 6. PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION INITIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 
United States International Development Finance Cor-
poration is authorized to establish, in coordination with 
relevant Federal departments and agencies and incor-
porating any existing programs of the Corporation for 
such purposes, an initiative to pursue investment opportu-
nities to address plastic waste pollution and support im-
proved, integrated waste management systems in devel-
oping countries, including by catalyzing global public and 
private-sector investments to prevent and reduce marine 
debris and plastic waste in such countries.
(b) REFERENCE.—The initiative established under 
subsection (a) may be referred to as the ‘‘Plastic Waste 
Reduction Initiative’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 
2020. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4636 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of State and the Admin-
istrator of the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development to prioritize and advance 
efforts to improve waste management systems 
and prevent and reduce plastic waste and marine 
debris, and for other purposes.