The Biden- Harris administration announced that it will be phasing out single-use plastics by the federal government, including plastic foodservice containers, by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035. This new goal is part of a larger commitment from the Biden White House to tackle plastic pollution and is part of the president’s long-term sustainability plan, including a goal of phasing out single-user plastics entirely by 2050.

“Communities across the United States and around the world are facing a plastic pollution crisis,” The White House statement on this new initiative said. “Plastic production and waste have doubled over the past two decades, littering our ocean, poisoning the air of communities near production facilities, and threatening public health. The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that pollution can occur at every stage of the plastic lifecycle, disproportionately impacting communities with environmental justice concerns, contributing to loss of biodiversity, and exacerbating the impacts of climate change.”

The foodservice sector is responsible for much of the plastic waste in the atmosphere right now: According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, plastic waste has doubled from 2000 to 2019, and 40% of it comes from packaging. Last year, Biden set a goal of replacing 90% of fossil fuel-based plastics with biodegradable alternatives over the next two decades.

The plastic-free movement has been picking up speed in the foodservice industry and in smaller pieces of legislation throughout the country. For example, in March, New Mexico’s Santa Fe County approved a ban on single-use plastics, covering straws, condiment packets, and more. The county joins more than 500 city ordinances nationally that are banning single-use plastics in one capacity or another, as NRN recently reported.

These bans have made many restaurants scramble to come up with biodegradable alternatives for takeout containers, plastic utensils, and even plastic sauce containers, all of which can be more expensive than traditional single-use plastics. One Connecticut brand, Hot Haven Chicken, said that it took the restaurant about a year and a half to figure out how to affordably source plastic packaging alternatives.

Solutions also come from companies like DeliverZero and Dispatch Goods, which offer closed loop reusable packaging systems, so restaurants and customers can have more options than just recycling or throwing away their food packaging. Larger restaurant chains are even getting in on this trend, with NextGen Consortium announcing a new returnable beverage pilot program in partnership with Starbucks, Dunkin’, Peet’s Coffee, Burger King and Yum Brands.

These types of programs will likely pick up momentum as the possibility of a national single-use plastics ban becomes more likely.

Contact Joanna at [email protected]