Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-984
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2021-03-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Advisory bodies
Air quality
Alcoholic beverages
Alternative and renewable resources
Aquatic ecology
Business records
Child health
Civil actions and liability
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Ecology
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental education
Environmental health
Environmental regulatory procedures
Environmental technology
Food industry and services
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Indian lands and resources rights
Industrial facilities
Inflation and prices
Intergovernmental relations
International organizations and cooperation
Licensing and registrations
Manufacturing
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Marketing and advertising
Materials
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Oil and gas
Performance measurement
Pollution liability
Public-private cooperation
Racial and ethnic relations
Retail and wholesale trades
Sales and excise taxes
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Solid waste and recycling
State and local government operations
State and local taxation
Tax-exempt organizations
Trade restrictions
User charges and fees
Water quality
Water use and supply
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2021-03-25
text: 

Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021

 
This bill sets forth requirements and incentives to reduce the production of a variety of products and materials, including plastics, and increase efforts to collect, recycle, or compost products and materials.
 
The bill makes certain producers of products (e.g., packaging, paper, single-use products, beverage containers, or food service products) fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting the products after consumer use. In addition, the bill establishes (1) minimum percentages of products that must be reused, recycled, or composted; and (2) an increasing percentage of recycled content that must be contained in beverage containers.
 
Beginning on January 1, 2023, the bill phases out a variety of single-use products, such as plastic utensils. The bill also sets forth provisions to encourage the reduction of single-use products, including by establishing programs to refund consumers for returning beverage containers and by establishing a tax on carryout bags.
 
The bill creates a temporary moratorium on new or expanded permits for certain facilities that manufacture plastics until regulations are updated to address pollution from the facilities.
 
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must publish guidelines for a national standardized labeling system for recycling and composting receptacles. Producers must include labels on their products that are easy to read and indicate whether the products are recyclable, compostable, or reusable. The EPA must also ensure that certain clothes washers have filtration units as required by this bill. 
 
Finally, the bill establishes limitations on the export of plastic waste to other countries.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-03-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2021-03-25
text: Introduced in Senate