Report: Shifting U.S. waste management policies could significantly reduce plastic waste, pollution

By 2040, the cost to U.S. taxpayers for managing plastic municipal solid waste is projected to surge by 30% to $37 billion per year, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts that includes input from waste management experts in the University of Georgia New Materials Institute. 

The technical white paper—”Modeling Policy Options for Reducing Plastic Packaging Waste and Microplastics in the United States”—analyzed how U.S. policy could affect plastic packaging, textile, and tire microplastic waste generation, waste management, pollution and select associated economic impacts. The report’s co-authors said this waste could be reduced significantly by shifting U.S. waste management policies toward better utilization of existing strategies. 

The work was funded and produced by Pew and conducted with support from ICF International Inc. Members of The Circularity Informatics Lab, led by Jenna Jambeck, contributed to the report, along with scientists from other support partners, which included: Monterey Bay Aquarium, the San Francisco Estuary Institute, The Recycling Partnership, the University of Georgia, Upstream, U.S. Plastics Pact, and World Wildlife Fund. 

Jambeck is a Regents’ Professor, and the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering, based in the College of Engineering. Kathryn Youngblood is the Director of Citizen Science Programs, a Senior Research Engineer, and a member of the Circularity Informatics team.

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