Organizations Demand Action from Interior Secretary Haaland to Curb Single-Use Plastics in Parks
A coalition of more than 300 nonprofits, environmental agencies, and businesses has petitioned U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to ban single-use plastics across the National Park Service. This plea follows a 2020 study that found an estimated 300 million plastic bottles’ worth of microplastics fall annually on the landscapes of western U.S. national parks, contaminating mountains, rivers, and plains.
The coalition’s letter calls for a ban on polystyrene foam and single-use plastic items, including bottles, bags, cups, plates, and utensils. Signatories include musician Jack Johnson, Greenpeace USA, and numerous state environmental agencies and indigenous groups. The letter warns that plastic litter disrupts park visitors’ experiences and points to the harmful impact of microplastics, which infiltrate the food chain and eventually reach humans, contributing the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of plastic consumed per person each week.
The group emphasizes that Secretary Haaland, the first Native woman to hold a Cabinet position, has demonstrated strong environmental leadership. They urge her to take further steps to protect the U.S.’s diverse natural heritage, from Florida’s Biscayne National Park to Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Julia Cohen, of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, highlighted that 99% of plastics are derived from fossil fuels, causing pollution at every stage of production and use. “It’s time to stop polluting our national treasures,” Cohen stated.
