Merkley: Global Plastics Crisis Requires Global Action

Senator traveling to Busan, South Korea, to help shape global plastic pollution agreement

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley-a leading voice in Congress on the urgent need to address the plastic pollution crisis-today issued the following statement before traveling to the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea:

"For years, we were taught the three Rs-reduce, reuse, and recycle. But for plastics it's really the three Bs-buried, burned, and borne out to sea," Merkley said. "The United States should join the countries advocating for meaningful standards and commitments to combat the plastic pollution crisis. If we cannot, then we must get out of their way.

"As the world comes together at INC-5, we must remain focused on reaching a bold agreement to address the entire life cycle of plastic. Our health and the health of our planet hang in the balance."

Merkley led a congressional delegation to INC-4 in April to call for the development of a strong global agreement to tackle plastic pollution. In his role as the Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee overseeing environmental justice, chemical safety, and waste management, he held a first-of-its-kind series of hearings investigating plastic production and pollution. His hearings have examined: environmental and climate damage from plastics, impacts of plastics on environmental justice communities, reuse and refill systems, beverage container waste, and consumer challenges to recycling. He also leads the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, the most comprehensive plan ever introduced in Congress to address the plastic pollution crisis that is poisoning our air, water, and land and disproportionately affecting communities of color and low-income Americans.

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