Former Vice President Joe Biden said he “100 percent” believes we should “not be allowing plastic.”
A woman at a campaign stop in Iowa had asked how he felt about plastic grocery bags.
“I agree with you, 100 percent. We should not be allowing plastic,” Biden said to applause. “What we should do is phasing it out.” California, Hawaii and Oregon have already passed bans on the bags. In 2015, a handful of Democrats called for a 10 cent tax on plastic bags nationwide, and last year, the House of Representatives banned plastic straws in its cafeterias. Washington, D.C., banned plastic straws on January 1.
Tony Radoszewski, president and chief executive officer of the Plastics Industry Association, expressed the view that phasing out plastic bags just wasn’t the answer.
“The process of ‘phasing them out,’ when it comes to plastics, would be a disaster for our economy and our environment,” Radoszewski expressed. “We’re disappointed that Biden would endorse the idea of a misguided reduction in the use of plastic materials, as bans and taxes aimed at accomplishing these tasks have only driven consumers to use more environmentally harmful and resource-intensive products.”
Radoszewski called on Biden to support the Recover Act, a bill that would commit $500 million of federal tax money over five years to matching grants to help build recycling infrastructure.
“This is a historic moment for the global economy and the environment, and the U.S. should take this chance to set an example by showing how every country can convert its waste into a valuable resource,” Radoszewski said.
