Another reason plastic waste and pollution has amassed so quickly is the lack of legislation regulating plastics. As of May 2020, there are currently no federal laws restricting single-use plastics, the single highest contributor to plastic waste. Congress could work to shape federal policy by modeling legislation after existing local and state laws passed to tackle the plastics problem. For example, in 2015, Congress passed a federal act banning plastic microbeads in health and beauty products after several states did the same. Today, however, the plastics problem remains unregulated and continuously building. The recent coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a ban on reusable bags in grocery and retail stores, prompting greater usage of single-use plastic bags that activists have worked so hard to discourage. In detail: Focusing on BPA, this article from our founder Pete Myers discusses why chemical regulation, thought to stifle innovation, is key to reversing today's epidemic of chronic diseases.