US to phase out single-use plastic on public lands, national parks by 2032

WASHINGTON: The US Interior Department said on Wednesday it will phase out single-use plastic products on public lands by 2032, including in national parks, in a move aimed at tackling a major source of US plastic waste as recycling efforts falter.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued a secretarial order that calls for the agency to reduce the procurement, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging on 480 million acres (1.9 million sq. km) of Interior Department-managed lands by 2032.