Bill to Ban Toxics in Plastic Beverage Bottles Introduced in U.S. Senate

Bill to Ban Toxics in Plastic Beverage Bottles Introduced in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Welch (D-VT) alongside cosponsors Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) reintroduced the Banning Toxics in Plastic Bottles Act (S. 5525), which would ban toxic substances from plastic beverage containers and create a fund to assist communities with preventing and mitigating the consequences of plastic waste. In response, Dr. Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Plastics Policy, issued the following statement:

“Plastic bottles, like other single-use plastics, are made with a cocktail of harmful chemicals that can contaminate the beverages we drink and leach into the surrounding environment when littered.

And plastic bottle pollution is everywhere: In fact, last year plastic bottles were the number one most commonly found item polluting beaches and waterways worldwide by International Coastal Cleanup volunteers.

The Banning Toxics in Plastic Bottles Act would eliminate harmful chemicals from plastic beverage containers to help protect our health, the environment, and the ocean. We applaud Senators Welch, Merkley, Booker, Van Hollen and Sanders for introducing this critical piece of legislation.”

Ocean Conservancy’s latest International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) report showed that last year volunteers collected over 1.3 million plastic bottles and nearly 900,000 bottle caps from beaches and waterways worldwide, making them the first and third most commonly found items.

If you would like to set up an interview, Dr. Anja Brandon is available to discuss: 

• Chemicals used in plastics and their impacts
• The importance of banning toxics in beverage bottles
• The impact of beverage bottle pollution
• Policies to prevent and mitigate the impacts of plastic bottle and single-use plastic pollution

ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY  

For more than 50 years, Ocean Conservancy has delivered effective, evidence-based solutions for the ocean and all who depend on it.

Today, we continue to unite science, people and policy to protect our ocean from the greatest challenges it faces: climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss.

We are a 501(C)3 headquartered in Washington, D.C. that inspires a worldwide network of partners, advocates and supporters through our comprehensive and clear-eyed approach to ocean conservation.

Together, we are securing a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone.