Flaming Dumpster Tours Washington, D.C.
The failure of the Biden Administration to act on plastic pollution is a dumpster fire for the planet.
On Tuesday, Greenpeace brought a flaming dumpster to tour Washington D.C. to demand President Biden act on tackling our plastic crisis at home and endorse a Global Plastics Treaty NOW.
Don’t worry if you missed it! Join us now for a lookback at the U.S. Plastic Policy Flaming Dumpster Tour. Watch today!
Stop 1: White House
The first stop was the White House where we delivered an urgent mandate to President Biden: Be a world leader and support an ambitious, binding Global Plastics Treaty before the UN Ministerial Meetings on Sept. 1st.
Right now, the treaty is backed by almost 140 countries, but the United States is still a holdout. We need President Biden to step up to endorse the international agreement today and be a global leader in tackling the plastic pollution crisis.
Stop 2: State Department
The second stop was to tell the State Department to stop undermining efforts to end U.S. exports of plastic waste to the Global South.
In January, a global ban on dumping waste on developing countries went into effect — but the United States still hasn’t ratified it. President Biden needs to uphold his promise of environmental justice and act this year to fully implement the Basel Agreement to end the dumping of plastic waste on the Global South.
Stop 3: DOE
On to the Department of Energy!
We made a quick stop at the DOE to demand the agency stop throwing more plastic in the dumpster fire.
99 percent of plastic is made from fossil fuels, but the DOE is backing so-called chemical recycling, a mythical false solution that cannot solve the plastic pollution crisis. It’s time to Break Free from Plastic and put a stop to the petrochemical industry’s expansion plans.
Stop 4: EPA
The last stop of the tour was the Environmental Protection Agency (arguably the hottest dumpster fire in the past five years).
Toxic chemicals are regularly added to plastic used for packaging, and can leach into our food and drinks. The EPA seems more worried about offending their friends in the petrochemical industry than in keeping people safe.
It is time for the EPA to get serious about protecting us from chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, or immune deficiencies. That’s why we want to end our tour with a clear mandate for EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, and President Biden: The planet cannot wait for comprehensive U.S. and global policy to address the plastic and climate crisis.
Thank you to the almost 25,000 supporters who have already used their voices to demand President Biden endorse a Global Plastic Treaty. Watch the video and add your name to demand President Biden act now to solve the plastic pollution crisis.
John Hocevar,
Oceans Director, Greenpeace USA
Greenpeace never takes a dime from corporations or governments. Everything we do is thanks to the generous support of people like you!
