Chair DeLauro Statement at Efforts to Address Marine Plastic Pollution Through Recycling Hearing
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks at the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on Efforts to Address Marine Plastic Pollution Through Recycling:
Our world’s oceans are near and dear to all of our hearts. I grew up on the shores of the Long Island Sound and have fond childhood memories of visiting New Haven Lighthouse Point, where I remember playing on the beach and swimming in the water with my family and friends. But as the years have gone by, I’ve watched with sadness as both the Sound and all our oceans have become choked with plastic pollution. When I was a kid finding plastic on the beach was a rarity. But now it is all too common.
Connecticut alone uses 400 million plastic bags each year, many of which eventually make their way into our oceans and waterways. And while recent efforts to clean up the Sound have made an important impact, the most recent data shows that more than 100,000 plastic bags still end up in the waters of the Long Island Sound each year.
This has a profound impact on the health and vitality of Connecticut’s economy, which depends on the Sound. From commercial and recreational fishing, to ecotourism and water-dependent businesses like lobster fishing, Connecticut derives tens of billions annually from the Long Island Sound. Shell fishing alone generates $30 million in sales and provides 300 jobs statewide.
But as the impact of plastic pollution grows, the future of these industries is uncertain. This is certainly a global issue, but it has local and individual causes and costs. Keep America Beautiful estimates that litter cleanup costs the United States more than $11.5 billion each year. That is all the more reason why every American, whether in Connecticut or California, has a vested interest in the future of our plastic consumption.
As co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus, I have been working for years on the cleanup and revitalization of our nation’s waterways. But this problem needs a comprehensive response. Some estimates indicate that people across the world may be consuming as much as half a pound of plastic in our food and water each year. It is in our shellfish, it is in our salt, it is raining from our skies. Plastic is everywhere. And if we don’t take meaningful action to stop it, not only will plastic soon be found in every thing, it will also soon be found in every one.
Our nation must lead in cleaning up this plastic problem. Recycling systems, the focus of today’s hearing, is a key part of the solution. And, as we will learn today, we must also invest in research that studies ways to keep plastic out of our environment and advance policies that tackle the plastic pollution problem throughout the supply chain. We must become more aggressive in reducing the amount of disposable packaging and single-use plastics, substitute more sustainable materials for single-use plastics that are difficult to recycle, and design products and packaging to make it easier for every American to be able to recycle.
Congress and the private sector must partner with local governments to enhance recycling programs to capture and repurpose our waste and move towards a circular economy. That requires us to reimagine the role that plastic plays in our economy and our environment. Fortunately, that process is already underway, as we will hear from our witnesses. Our role must be to support those efforts and accelerate that transformation as best we can