California to Crack Down on Mirco-Plastics Polluting the Ocean

Over the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of products manufactured using green PE resins – or plastics with chemicals added such as EPI which give the petroleum-based plastics the characteristics of compostability except that these products do not decompose but instead breakdown due to a chemical reaction into Micro-Plastics. Most of these green PE products were manufactured overseas and were preferred by many US businesses due to the cheap cost giving it a comparability to that of traditional plastics. These US businesses overlooked the harm caused by the green PE products and continued to import them into the United States to resell. Green PE has not been the answer, it’s been a misleading marketing scheme by many large businesses. California for a while now has been looking into the Micro-Plastics issue, and now it has finally aimed to limit the spiraling of microplastics as they are a direct threat to fish, marine mammals and potentially humans. ?

The Ocean protection council has voted to make California the first state to adopt a comprehensive plan to rein in the pollution, recommending everything from banning plastic cigarette filters and drinking cups to straws.

Industry opposition has helped kill legislation that would force single-use packaging to be recyclable or compostable. But voters will have a chance in November to impose those requirements with the?California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Voter Act.?The ballot measure would force single-use plastics to be reusable, recyclable or compostable, with the goal of cutting plastic waste by one-fourth by 2030. The measure would charge up to one cent per item to provide incentive to reduce waste, with the funds going to recycling and cleanup measures.

Scientists have estimated that 11 million metric tons of plastic spills into the ocean each year, an amount that could triple by 2040 without a course correction, the state’s report says.

Microplastics are commonly defined as particles smaller than 5 millimeters (about 3/16 of an inch) in diameter. Some come from the breakdown of plastic bags, bottles and wraps, others are derived from clothing fibers, fishing gear and containers.

The officials also recommended that state agencies use their own purchasing power to acquire reusable foodware whenever possible and to cut reliance on single-use utensils.

Other changes, already adopted, need to be put into place, like a 2021 law that requires restaurants to provide single-use utensils and condiments only when customers ask for them.

The state would also like to see manufacturers produce washing machines that filter out microfibers before they end up in storm drains. They would like vehicle tire makers to find alternatives that put less micro-waste on roadways. It’s unclear whether those changes will be mandated, or merely encouraged.

For plastics that are not reduced at the source, the ocean group recommended a number of measures to restrict the flow of microplastics into storm drains, streams and into the ocean. Those solutions sometimes come under the heading of “low-impact development” and include creation of trenches, greenways and “rain gardens” that filter and hold waste before it flows out to sea.

It also recommended placing more trash cans along beaches and other “hot spots,” where plastics can readily find their way into waterways.

While research about microplastic pollution has increased, there has not been a systematic approach or agreement on what pollutants should be measured. The ocean agency’s plan outlines shortcomings in the science that need to be corrected, so that pollution measures can be standardized and safety thresholds created.

Microplastic pollution has drawn international attention. The United Nations is?attempting to draft a treaty?to rein in the contaminants, while the European Union is drawing up a policy of its own.

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reported last year that America produced more plastic pollution, through 2016, than any other country, exceeding all the European Union nations combined.

The California’s ocean agency’s action this week grew out of a 2018 law, authored by Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), that demanded state action.

Officials at the state Water Resources Control Board are working on a separate policy to measure and set safety guidelines for the levels of microplastics that will be permissible in drinking water.

The San Francisco Bay pollution study, co-authored by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, found that more than 7 trillion bits of plastic washed into the bay each year.

Warner Chabot, executive director of the institute, praised state leaders for approving the microplastics plan.

“Solving the problem requires that we stop or greatly reduce microplastics at their source,” Chabot said. “There is no quick fix and a range of options for a solution.”

SOURCE: JAMES RAINEY - LA TIMES