No Single-Use Plastics in Our National Parks!

Honorable Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior

Our national parks were once home to Native People who for thousands of years were the original stewards of these lands. This effort represents a small but important step for the NPS to honor the legacy of Indigenous stewardship and deepen its commitment to a more socially and environmentally just future.

Plastic pollution can be found virtually everywhere.

From the deep ocean to remote mountain wildernesses, from our table salt to our tap water, plastic pollution poses an alarming threat to human health and the environment. It is estimated that the average person is eating a credit card’s worth of microplastic every week.

Petrochemical facilities, and disposal of the plastics that they create, disproportionately harm people of color and low-income communities. Continued efforts by industry to site new plastics facilities in “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana provide a stark case of environmental racism and extensive research shows that incinerators and landfills are more often sited in frontline communities. By reducing single-use plastics, NPS will contribute to the Biden administration’s commitment on environmental justice to hold polluters accountable.

The best way to manage plastic waste is to stop generating it.

Nearly 40% of the plastic produced annually is for single-use plastics and packaging — materials that are made to last forever but designed to be used briefly and thrown away. Plastic production is projected to quadruple between 2014 and 2050, greatly compounding the problem since a meager 9% of all the plastic waste ever generated has been recycled. Plastic water bottles are considered more recyclable than some other plastic products, yet three out of four bottles end up in landfills or incinerators. We cannot recycle our way out of this problem.

Eliminating single-use plastics will reduce plastic pollution and save money for parks, visitors, concessionaires and park partners, while also advancing the Biden administration’s goals for addressing environmental justice and the climate crisis. This request is consistent with the Presidential Plastics Action Plan delivered to the Biden-Harris transition team and Congress on December 8, 2020, which highlights eight executive actions to address the plastic pollution crisis.

To: Honorable Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior
From: [Your Name]

Dear Secretary Haaland:

As a concerned citizen encouraged by your strong record as an environmental leader, I am approaching you on an issue of growing public concern: plastic pollution.

I strongly request that you direct the National Park Service (NPS) to eliminate the sale or distribution of single-use plastics in our national parks, building on the Green Parks Plan and previous efforts to reduce the sale of bottled water in parks and ensure access to safe, potable water. Eliminating single-use plastics will reduce plastic pollution and save money for parks, visitors, concessionaires and park partners, while also advancing the Biden administration’s goals for addressing environmental justice and the climate crisis. This request is consistent with the Presidential Plastics Action Plan delivered to the Biden-Harris transition team and Congress on December 8, 2020, which highlights eight executive actions to address the plastic pollution crisis.

By reducing single-use plastics, NPS will contribute to the Biden administration’s commitment on environmental justice to hold polluters accountable. Petrochemical facilities, and disposal of the plastics that they create, disproportionately harm people of color and low-income communities. Continued efforts by industry to site new plastics facilities in “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana provide a stark case of environmental racism. Extensive research has shown that incinerators and landfills are more often sited in frontline communities. The best way to manage plastic waste is to stop generating it.

The earth is awash in plastic pollution. Plastic has been found everywhere, from the deep ocean to remote mountains, in the rain in our national parks and wilderness areas and in our food. Globally, humanity produces about 300 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. An estimated 15 million metric tons (33 billion pounds) of that plastic enter the ocean each year, roughly equivalent to dumping two garbage trucks full of plastic into the ocean every minute. Plastics are affecting every form of marine life from zooplankton and fish to sea turtles and seabirds, and they pose significant health concerns. It is estimated that the average person is eating a credit card’s worth of microplastic every week with unforeseeable consequences to fetal development, disease, fertility and beyond.

Nearly 40% of the plastic produced annually is for single-use plastics and packaging — materials that are made to last forever but designed to be used briefly and thrown away. Plastic production is projected to quadruple between 2014 and 2050, greatly compounding the problem since a meager 9% of all the plastic waste ever generated has been recycled. Plastic water bottles are considered more recyclable than some other plastic products, yet three out of four bottles end up in landfills or incinerators. We cannot recycle our way out of this problem.

Plastic pollution, from tiny microplastics to plastic bottles to larger plastic debris, is polluting our national parks. Plastic trash is often visible in parks, impairing visitors’ experiences of these treasured natural and historical sites. Plastic harms wildlife and ecosystems, from horrific entanglements of large animals like sea turtles and whales to impairment of microscopic organisms in soil. This plastic makes its way into our air, food, and drinking water, most directly when leaching into water we drink from plastic water bottles.

Plastics are also fueling the climate crisis, a critical problem that presents NPS with extraordinary adaptation challenges. Most plastics are made from petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels, which of course are the main drivers of climate change. If plastic were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As our economy shifts toward clean energy resources, oil and gas companies are turning to plastic production as the next growth area for their industries. Petrochemical production is expected to account for over a third of global growth of fossil fuel demand by 2030, and nearly half by 2050—more than trucks, aviation and shipping combined. Furthermore, studies show that plastic contributes to climate change at every stage of its life cycle.

On average, the NPS manages nearly 70 million pounds of waste annually, equivalent to the weight of 155 Statues of Liberty. If you include waste managed by park concessionaires, that number more than doubles. Plastic waste—such as water bottles, plastic bags, and non- recyclable or compostable food packaging—is a significant source of landfilled waste from parks. NPS staff and volunteers spend considerable time and expense cleaning up litter and hauling waste to landfills. In Yellowstone National Park, a 2013 review found that plastic water bottles represent 50% of the park’s solid waste load. A 2016 survey found that more than one-third of park visitors (35%) use disposable water bottles, yet nearly four out of five visitors (79%) would support removing single-use bottles in parks to help reduce waste.
We recommend eliminating the sale in national parks of single-use plastic beverage bottles; plastic bags; disposable plastic food ware, including cups, plates, bowls, and utensils; and expanded polystyrene products. Reusable water bottles that cost less than a dollar each can be readily purchased and refilled at water fountains or refill stations, reducing plastic pollution and saving consumers money.

I acknowledge that our national parks were once home to Native People who stewarded these lands for thousands of years. Native People were driven from these lands, in some cases specifically to convert the lands to national parks. As a nation we can honor their stewardship by eliminating plastic pollution from these parks.

The national parks can be a leader in the movement towards a more socially and environmentally just future. I believe that ending the sale of single-use plastics in our national parks will benefit park visitors, park budgets, and park ecosystems, as well as contribute to the Biden administration’s larger goals on environmental justice and the climate crisis.

Congratulations on your historic confirmation as the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior and thank you for the consideration of this important issue.