marine pollution
Marine Plastic Pollution: How Global Extended Producer Responsibility Can Help
Author
Erin Eastwood, Justin Fisch, Lara McDonough, and Linda Sobczynski
Author Bios (long)

Erin Eastwood is a marine conservation biologist and Program Director for the National Ocean Protection Coalition. Justin Fisch is an attorney at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco in the firm’s Environmental and Social Enterprise + Impact Investing groups. Lara McDonough is a third-year law student at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Linda Sobczynski is an associate in Farella Braun + Martel’s San Francisco office, whose practice spans a range of matters under California and federal environmental and energy laws.

Date
December 2020
Volume
50
Issue
12
Page
10976
Type
Comment(s)
Summary

Nearly nine million tons of plastic waste flow into our oceans each year, arriving in many ways—ranging from polluted rivers and waterways to the wastewater from our washing machines. Once in the ocean, this pervasive plastic pollution is nearly impossible to clean up. If there is anything positive to say about such a broad and complex challenge, it is that there are multiple ways to tackle the problem. Legal and policy solutions are increasingly moving away from the piecemeal, product-by-product approach of single-use plastic bans and toward more comprehensive frameworks and solutions.This Comment discusses one such approach to managing plastic waste in a more comprehensive and holistic manner, called extended producer responsibility.

STUDY FINDS MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION COSTS SOCIETY BILLIONS ANNUALLY
04/15/2019
Update Volume
49
Update Issue
11

According to a study published this week, plastic pollution in the world's oceans costs society billions of dollars every year in damaged and lost resources. An estimated eight million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, negatively affecting fisheries, aquaculture, recreational activities, and global well-being. The study is the first of its kind to explore the social and economic impact of marine plastic pollution, finding that plastic waste costs up to $33,000 per ton in reduced environmental value.

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