United States
A bill calling for a 20-cent tax on virgin plastic in single-use products is back in Congress, with its Democratic sponsors saying it's needed to level the playing field for recycled materials.
The value of shipments from the U.S. plastics industry increased in 2022 as the number of people employed by the industry also grew.
After a coalition of attorneys general withdrew objections, a U.S. district judge gave preliminary approval to a revised settlement involving 3M and public water suppliers over contamination caused by PFAS chemicals.
The American Chemistry Council believes proposed rulemaking is confusing and would impact advancement of pyrolysis for plastics.
Materials maker Trinseo has begun the process of closing a styrene monomer plant in the Netherlands and acrylic sheet plants elsewhere in Europe.
The EPA's draft strategy on plastics pollution seems to be attracting as many different opinions as there are grades of polymers, with debates over how to deal with the country's "abysmal" plastics recycling rate.
Senators examined reusable packaging systems as alternatives to single-use plastics and other packaging in the latest in a series of hearings on plastics concerns.
Environmental and community groups are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to speed up health reviews of vinyl chloride monomer, pointing to the February train derailment and VCM release in East Palestine, Ohio.
Bill Wood: "Through the first six months of 2023, total sales at grocery stores (in dollar terms) are up 3.9 percent. ... During typical years, I would take this as an indication that the demand for plastics packaging was favorable."
As part of a plan to cut EPA funding 39 percent, House Republicans also adopted budget language supporting chemical recycling, bioplastics work and reusable packaging.
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