New bill would keep plastics out of national parks

Our national parks are the last place you want to see plastic litter.

On Oct. 8, Rep. Mike Quigley introduced a bill to help protect them. The Reducing Waste in National Parks Act would ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bottles, utensils, straws and packaging from national parks in the United States. Each year, the National Parks Service (NPS) manages an average of nearly 70 million pounds of waste — the same weight as 155 Statues of Liberty.

“From towering trees at Redwood National Park to the geysers at Yellowstone, our national parks protect incredible natural beauty,” said Environment America oceans associate Elizabeth DiSanto. “Plastic simply doesn’t belong in these special places.” 

This bill, also introduced in the Senate, now moves to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee where it will be amended before moving to a full vote by the House of Representatives.

Read more about this bill.

Lean more about our Wildlife Over Waste campaign.