Biden administration launches plastic pollution initiative

The Biden administration has launched a strategy to tackle plastic pollution, while pledging to phase out single-use plastics from US government operations by 2035. Acknowledging a "crisis" of plastic pollution, the plan aims to reduce pollutants, encourage stronger regulation, and support alternatives without capping production. The initiative, which aims to use government purchasing power to discourage the use of single-use plastic, notes that plastic production and waste have more than doubled over the past two decades and are set to increase four-fold by mid-century. Environmentalists praised the initiative, but said that measures needed to go further. (Inside Climate News)