[Senate Hearing 116-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2021
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TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met at 2:00 p.m., in room SD-124, Dirksen
Senate Office Building, Hon. Lindsey Graham (Chairman)
presiding.
Present: Senators Graham, Boozman, Leahy, Shaheen, Coons,
Udall, Sullivan, and Whitehouse.
REVIEW U.S. GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO ADDRESS OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM
Senator Graham. Good afternoon. Hello, Senator Leahy. Sorry
I'm late.
So the day has arrived that we're talking about plastics in
the ocean. Why are we having this hearing? So Senators Sullivan
and Whitehouse will leave me alone.
[Laughter.]
Senator Graham. I'm telling you if we ever clean up
plastics in the ocean, it will be because of these two folks
and Senator Leahy and I will be willing co-conspirators.
I'm just astounded by the problem mankind has created for
the oceans. We can be better stewards of God's creation. What
we're going to do is have a hearing today about some solutions,
and Senator Leahy and myself are going to sit down and find a
way to create some kind of fund that people can contribute to.
I know they're doing it at the World Bank, but I like the
Global Fund idea where the world comes together under American
leadership to solve the problem.
So to our two colleagues, thank you very much for your
leadership.
Senator Leahy.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK J. LEAHY
Senator Leahy. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and with
all the joking that goes back and forth, I think it's safe to
say that the Chairman and I feel very strongly about this and
we do want to help.
Senator Whitehouse and I were in Vietnam last year. We met
with Vietnamese officials and scientists to discuss ocean
plastic pollution. We had a good meeting, and Dr. Whitehouse,
who is a marine biologist, was a star. Ocean plastic pollution
is a serious problem for a country with a 2,000-mile coastline,
and we--by that I mean all human beings--are causing
potentially irreparable harm to the oceans and marine wildlife,
which is the primary source of protein for billions of people
in this world.
Acidification from carbon emissions, oil spills, untreated
sewage, and millions of tons of plastic waste are destroying
life in the oceans. Rivers are emptying into the ocean with
discarded plastic, beaches are littered with it, and the coral
reefs are dying. From a personal point of view, my wife
Marcelle and I are avid scuba divers and over the last 25
years, we have seen more and more the damage such pollution has
caused.
We have seen a dead sea turtle choked to death by a piece
of plastic--literally hanged by the plastic. We've seen reefs
and other marine life disappearing, which, of course, harms the
whole ecological system.
They've found enough plastic debris to cover half a tennis
court in the body of a single dead whale. Seals and sea birds
are ingesting plastic.
Even plankton are ingesting it. A lot of people say
recycling is the answer and, of course, we wish that were true,
but less than 10 percent of the world's plastic is recycled.
Part of it is a lack of infrastructure and regulation, but some
plastic, like plastic bags, can't be recycled. Even plastic
that's recycled is only reused a couple times, then it's
discarded.
It is for these reasons that I co-sponsored Senator Udall's
Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. In my State of Vermont,
we have a new law limiting plastic bags, foam food containers,
and straws. We've also had a bottle deposit program since 1973,
before you were born, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Let the record reflect that.
[Laughter.]
Senator Leahy. And a whole year before I was in the Senate.
I've also supported passage and enactment of the Microbead-Free
Waters Act, to phase out the use of microbeads that were
polluting, among other waters, Vermont's Lake Champlain.
I don't want to go into all the things that I know Senator
Sullivan and Senator Whitehouse can talk about in their States
about coastlines, so I'll put my whole statement in the record.
We often talk about the next generation, and I think of our
children and grandchildren. This is not the world they should
be inheriting. We need to do whatever we can to address this
issue. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.
Thank you. Thank you for having this hearing.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Senator Patrick J. Leahy
Mr. Chairman, this is an extremely important issue and we have
excellent witnesses here to discuss it. Senator Whitehouse and I were
in Vietnam last year where we met with Vietnamese officials and
scientists to discuss ocean plastic pollution, which is a serious
problem for that country with a 2,000 mile coastline.
We--and by that I mean human beings--are causing potentially
irreparable harm to the oceans and marine wildlife, which are the
primary source of protein for billions of the world's people.
Acidification from carbon emissions, oil spills, untreated sewage,
and millions of tons of plastic waste are destroying life in the
oceans. Rivers that empty into the oceans carry enormous quantities of
discarded plastic. Beaches are littered with it. Coral reefs are dying.
Virtually every marine creature is ingesting plastic, from tiny
particles to plastic bottles, bags, and other containers. Enough
plastic debris to cover half a tennis court has been found in the body
of a single dead whale. Seals and sea birds are ingesting plastic. Even
plankton, so it makes its way up the food chain to the fish we eat.
Many people assume recycling is the answer, and that is what the
chemical companies and the companies that produce plastic containers
want us to think. I wish it were true. Less than 10 percent of the
world's plastic is recycled.
Part of the reason is lack of infrastructure and regulations, but
some plastic, like plastic bags, cannot be recycled. And even plastic
that can be recycled can only be reused a few times. Then it is
discarded.
It is for these reasons that I have cosponsored Senator Udall's
``Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act'', which, among other things,
limits certain single-use plastics and requires manufacturers of
plastic products to finance and organize the recycling of their
products after consumer use.
In my State of Vermont, a new law limiting plastic bags, foam food
containers, and straws has recently taken effect. Vermont has also had
a bottle deposit program since 1973 and former Senator Jim Jeffords
repeatedly called for a nationwide bottle deposit bill.
And I supported passage and enactment of the Microbead-Free Waters
Act of 2015, to phase out the use of microbeads that were polluting
Lake Champlain and other waters. But more must be done--in Vermont, and
in every State and country.
Not only have we been far too lax about this problem, it is
projected to get exponentially worse if we and other countries don't
act with a greater sense of urgency.
One can cite many causes. The greed of corporations that are doing
whatever they can to produce and sell more plastic, while they pay lip
service to the environment and public health. The failure of
governments to treat this problem with the gravity it deserves. The
complacency of consumers, who by following some simple steps could
significantly reduce the use of single use plastic bags, bottles, and
other containers.
And we cannot ignore the fact that a lot of the plastic that is in
the rivers and littering the beaches and coast lines of other
countries, and that ends up in the ocean, came from the United States
and China. We have been producing and using more and more plastic bags,
bottles, wrapping, and other items, and shipping our plastic waste and
other garbage overseas for decades, with no regard to what was done
with it.
So it's no surprise that the Plastics Industry Association says 95
percent of plastic in the ocean comes from 10 rivers in Asia and
Africa. That purposefully obscures the fact that it didn't just
miraculously end up in Asian and African rivers. A lot of it came from
here.
I hope our witnesses will give us concrete recommendations for what
we can and should do to help other countries reduce plastic pollution
and protect the oceans for all of us.
Senator Graham. Well, thank you. Well said, Senator Leahy,
we're going to do something about this.
I mean, I know the average American thinks we've all lost
our mind up here, but there's a lot we do agree upon and
getting plastics out of the oceans should be something we can
come together on.
With that, I'll turn it over to Senator Sullivan.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR DAN SULLIVAN
Senator Sullivan. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking
Member Leahy, for the opportunity to talk about this important
issue.
I want to say, as always, it's great to be here with my
fellow friend and colleague, Senator Whitehouse. He and I have
spent a lot of time on this issue together and the good news is
we're making progress.
I'm not going to brag too much about Alaska, but when we're
talking about coastlines, we're particularly aware of this
challenge. Some of you might know the statistic that my State
has more coastline than the rest of the Lower 48 States
combined and we, unfortunately, have--when we have beach
cleanups, which is often, it's a mix of plastic pollution,
ghost fishing gear trash, that it's so much that it's measured
in tons, not in pounds.
Mr. Chairman, as you know, the vast majority of this
actually comes from overseas. We're not perfect in our country,
but this is a problem that really demands an international
element to address it.
Senator Whitehouse and I worked on the Safe our Seas Act in
the last Congress, was passed, and we had a very useful signing
ceremony with the President, who is quite motivated on these
issues. That led to our Save Our Seas Act 2.0, which passed the
Senate in January and is under consideration in the House.
Senator Murphy, who's here, and Senator Coons, Van Hollen,
Merkley, they were all co-sponsors. Mr. Chairman, you were, as
well, of that bill.
It's not a silver bullet, but CRS did call that the most
comprehensive ocean cleanup legislation ever to pass the United
States Senate and so we're proud of that bill, doesn't solve
everything but, as I mentioned, Mr. Chairman, that has a lot of
provisions, the Save Our Seas Act 2.0, to tackle this problem
globally.
I won't go through all the elements of it, but it's working
internationally. It prioritizes State Department, USAID, I know
you're going to hear from them today, on the United States
being the leader in marine debris efforts globally.
I think you're starting to see that, Mr. Chairman. You saw
in the USMCA, for example, there's a provision on ocean debris.
There's an entire chapter on sustainable fisheries that I had a
little bit to do with, but this is, I think, it's a challenge,
but at the end of the day, this is a good news story.
Why is it a good news story? Because it's an environmental
issue that we can target and we can solve. The estimates are
some 70 percent of all the world's global plastics marine
debris comes from 10 rivers in Asia and Africa. We can solve
this and here's the other good news element about it.
You are seeing all the key stakeholders, Democrats,
Republicans, in the Congress, the Trump administration, which I
think really wants to play an important constructive and
leadership role, the key ocean environmental groups, industry.
Senator Whitehouse and I were at the launch of the Alliance to
End Plastic Waste. This is a group of nearly 50 of the top
companies in our country that have pledged over 1.5 billion to
clean up the oceans and that's the key, Mr. Chairman.
Key stakeholders all working together on an environmental
issue we can solve and that's why this hearing is important.
That's why our work together, we think, has made progress and
we're very honored, Mr. Chairman, Senator Leahy, that you are
holding this hearing to continue our leadership efforts,
bipartisan, with the United States leading on an issue that
people are coming together on and we can solve.
So we want to thank you for holding this hearing.
Senator Graham. Thank you for all you've done to bring this
to my attention and to work with Senator Whitehouse.
Senator Whitehouse.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR SHELDON WHITEHOUSE
Senator Whitehouse. Thank you, Chairman Graham, for hosting
this. It is, first of all, a treat to be here and see you and
Ranking Member Leahy, who work together so well on so many
issues. It's a good sign for the Senate, the relationship that
you two have, and it gives me confidence that we will make real
progress as a result of this hearing.
It's also a great privilege to be here with my compadre on
all things ocean plastics, Dan Sullivan. As he said, we do
beach cleanups with trash bags. He does beach cleanups with
frontend loaders, dumpsters, and barges. So it's a real problem
for Alaska but it's a problem for the entire world because
plastic pollution and marine debris befoul all our oceans and
hurt global coastal communities.
About 8 million metric tons of this trash goes into the sea
every year. If you stack grocery bags full of plastic trash on
every square foot of shoreline in the world and kick it into
the ocean, that's the scale of what we're doing every year and
at this rate, there will be more plastic by weight in the ocean
than fish by weight in the ocean by 2050.
It's a health issue, an unexplained health issue because
plastic breaks down into teensy-tiny microscopic pieces and
infiltrates the marine food chain with harm we still need to
understand to fish, wildlife, and human health.
So we are not doing a very good job at handling this as a
country and as a world. We only manage a fraction of the
plastic waste that we produce. Much of what we fail to manage
goes into the ocean.
International efforts will help us combat this ocean
plastic pollution and we can make positive changes here at home
because our waste and water infrastructure needs improving as
does our recycling system. But we must reduce new plastic waste
and create economic incentives to clean up the plastic waste
already befouling our seas.
Save Our Seas, mentioned by Dan, and Save Our Seas 2.0 show
bipartisan support to address marine debris and ocean plastic
pollution. Save Our Seas is already law and this year, the
Senate passed Save Our Seas 2.0 by unanimous consent and we
hope for House action to pass it into law in this Congress.
These bills do the two basic things we need to do: boost
international engagement to clean up ocean plastics and
strengthen our domestic response.
So what's out there right now? PROBLUE, an Ocean Trust Fund
at the World Bank, already helps address the threat of marine
pollution and ocean plastics, and it raises awareness. It
integrates international efforts. It promotes public and
private sector investment.
The United States should step up on combating ocean plastic
pollution as we traditionally have in fisheries management and
in ocean conservation, both by contributing to this fund and
perhaps by establishing our own to support it and vindicate our
own policies.
We should strengthen the Department of State and USAID's
ocean plastic pollution work. They support international
efforts to address marine debris. There's no reason for the
U.S. to be laggards in this space.
Studies already underway at the National Academy of Science
to evaluate the types, sources, and geographic distribution of
our own plastic waste, where we export it, whether there's
adequate waste management infrastructure there, and what
environmental conditions result. Supporting a global fund can
help us build on this research and act on its findings.
Ocean plastic pollution is a global problem with bipartisan
support for action in Congress and strong statements, as
Senator Sullivan said, from the President, the Secretary of
State, and our Trade Representative. There's no reason not to
move forward. It will take an international response because so
much of the problem is overseas. Powering up the Department of
State and USAID's work and launching funding for global ocean
plastic reduction through PROBLUE or through our own or both
would ensure that the United States is an acknowledged leader
in this space.
There's no reason not to move forward, Mr. Chairman, and
there's every reason to move forward for the sake of our
coastal communities and blue economies, for the sake of human
health, and for the sake of a healthy, beautiful, and clean
ocean.
I know you are an advocate for the Atlantic shore of South
Carolina, as I am for our beautiful, sparkling shore and bay in
Rhode Island, and I appreciate very much that you and that
famous scuba diver, our Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, are such
enthusiasts. So I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Senator Graham. Senator Jacques Cousteau over here.
Senator Leahy. Marcelle is the better diver.
Senator Graham [continuing]. Before you leave, I know
you're busy, thank you both. I'm not joking. I did not realize
the scope of the problem. It's just mind-boggling that we've
done this to our oceans and the good news is there's a way out
of this mess. There is a way. We've just got to follow your
leadership and where money helps, we'll put money. So thank you
both.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Our other two witnesses are USAID Assistant
Administrator for the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education,
and Environment, Michelle Bekkering. Good to see you. Thank
you. And Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific
Affairs, you must have a big door, Jonathan Moore.
Mr. Moore, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF HON. JONATHAN MOORE, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY
ASSISTANT SECRETARY, BUREAU OF OCEANS AND
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC
AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Mr. Moore. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. Thank you for
the opportunity and the invitation. Ranking Member Leahy and
other esteemed Members of the subcommittee.
It's an honor to be here with you today, together with my
distinguished colleague from USAID, Michelle Bekkering, to
discuss our role in addressing the important issue of marine
debris.
While working on and through the COVID-19 pandemic, the
State Department continues to address marine debris and many
other issues around the world, collaborating with the
interagency to leverage American resources and expertise.
As we just heard from Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse,
marine debris does not respect borders. It is a global problem
with global consequences. It results from mismanaged waste,
usually starting on land and then entering the ocean.
The American people see this on the coasts of the Atlantic,
Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, and on the shores of lakes and
rivers. It's estimated that the direct economic impact of
marine debris on APEC economies, and that includes our economy,
is over $10 billion a year. It harms ecosystems and fishing
industries through economic losses due to abandoned or lost
fishing gear, known as ghost gear. Floating debris also poses
navigational hazards.
Though marine debris includes glass, metal, cloth, and
rubber, one of the most common materials is plastic. Exactly as
Senator Whitehouse noted, current estimates indicate that there
are more than 150 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean
with another 8 million tons added each year. To use a different
way of describing that, that works out to a full garbage
truck's worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute.
I must note, Mr. Chairman that the People's Republic of
China is the biggest offender, responsible for nearly 30
percent of plastic waste, far more than any other country. The
PRC must address its own waste management issues, both land-
based and sea-based, and do so with its own resources.
Marine debris affects environmental and food security,
economic stability, resource management, and potentially human
health. The challenge is immense.
Our approach focuses on promoting environmentally-sound
waste management, recycling, sustainable materials management,
innovation to prevent waste from entering the environment, and
debris removal efforts.
The United States has a wide array of means to help. The
State Department, EPA, National Science Foundation, and the
Department of Energy are highlighting U.S. expertise and
innovation to combat marine debris through new technologies,
materials research, and other cutting edge solutions.
We are dedicating to supporting and highlighting the best
available scientific information and data collection methods
necessary to inform policymakers and private industry about the
economic, environmental, and health implications and identify
hot spots.
The bipartisan Save Our Seas Act of 2018 directed the State
Department to take a comprehensive approach on marine debris.
The department, through our Bureau of Oceans and International
Environmental and Scientific Affairs, is working with
interagency, private sector, academic, industry, and non-
governmental stakeholders, in addition to Congress, to engage
multilaterally, regionally, and bilaterally around the world.
We also partner with EPA, NOAA, USAID, the National Science
Foundation, Commerce, Energy, the Coast Guard, and the U.S.
Trade Representative to work with international stakeholders
and underscore the importance of public and private
cooperation.
We are engaging with private sector-led initiatives,
including the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Circulate
Capital, mobilizing billions of dollars to help countries
improve their waste management and recycling systems, and to
create a value chain for recycled plastics.
In international fora, contrasting the balanced approaches,
we face calls for bans on single-use plastics, legally-binding
agreements on plastics, and measures that would inhibit the
market for recycled goods.
Barriers, bans, and trade restrictions often do not
consider negative environmental and economic trade-offs and
could actually reduce recycling by lowering the value of
commodities, risking even more waste entering the environment.
Instead, we need innovation in materials and design,
changes in behavior, and significant improvements in waste
management systems to reduce the amount of marine debris and
plastic pollution. These solutions should reflect regional and
national contexts as well as local practices and realities.
Importantly, the challenge of tackling marine debris
presents opportunities for U.S. business. The American waste
and recycling industry generates an estimated $100 billion in
annual revenue. The global waste management market is expected
to reach over $530 billion by the year 2025.
Broadening markets would yield benefits to American
companies as well as for countries with undeveloped waste
management infrastructure, a win all around.
Our embassies are vital in helping U.S. business navigate
ever-changing national and local conditions and identifying
potential opportunities.
Over the past 5 years, the State Department has managed
over $5.8 million in grants. For example, we gave a nearly $1
million grant to the Ocean Conservancy to aid the
implementation of Vietnam's National Action Plan on Marine
Debris and worked with local NGOs there.
Senator Leahy, thank you very much for mentioning our
cooperation with Vietnam.
We promote behavior change, including through demonstration
projects, workshops, and public awareness campaigns. We also
plan to combat sea-based sources, particularly of ghost gear.
These are just a few examples of what we're doing.
As the Save Our Seas Act recognizes, addressing marine
debris is impossible without close domestic and international
coordination.
Congress has been an invaluable partner for this and we
greatly appreciate your support and interest.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you
today.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jonathan M. Moore
introduction
Good afternoon Chairman Graham, Vice Chairman Leahy, and other
esteemed Members of the subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs. It is a pleasure to be here with you today and I very
much appreciate the opportunity to discuss the State Department's role
in addressing the increasingly important issue of marine debris. Even
during this time of incredible uncertainty, we continue to address this
complex challenge around the world. The State Department works closely
with our interagency partners to leverage our combined resources and
expertise in our global marine debris engagement.
Marine debris is a global problem with global consequences. Marine
debris originates from mismanaged waste leaking into the environment,
usually starting on land and then entering the ocean. The American
people see this on the coasts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic
Oceans, and on the shores of lakes and rivers. Reliable estimates put
the direct economic impact of marine debris on Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum (APEC) economies (including the United States) at
over $10 billion annually. A component of the tourism sector is hit
particularly hard by lost revenue from tourists who choose to spend
their vacations away from polluted marine environments, forcing local,
State, and national governments to spend millions of dollars cleaning
beaches. Marine debris also harms marine ecosystems and fishing
industries through economic losses due to abandoned or lost fishing
gear, commonly referred to as ``ghost gear.'' Ghost gear continues to
capture fish and other marine life for as long as it drifts, depleting
seafood stocks and ultimately reducing regional food security. Floating
debris also poses major navigational hazards for ocean-going vessels,
for example by entangling ship drives.
Though marine debris includes various materials, such as glass,
metal, cloth, and rubber, one of the most common materials comprising
marine debris is plastic. Current estimates indicate that there are
more than 150 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean with another 8
million tons added each year; that works out to a full garbage truck's
worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute. By 2050, there could
be more plastic than fish (by weight) in the ocean.
Plastics are a vital societal asset and tradable commodity in the
global economy. Their durability and non-biodegradable properties that
are so valuable for food safety and other applications, can also lead
to plastic accumulation on land and in the marine environment when
plastic waste is not managed in an environmentally sound manner.
Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose naturally, if it
decomposes at all. In many cases, plastic degrades into smaller harmful
``micro and nano-plastic'' fragments that are impossible to retrieve,
but which enter the food chain when consumed by sea life. Moreover,
micro and nano-plastic are transported across the globe, including by
ocean currents and jet streams, and can now be found from the deepest
parts of our oceans to the ice and snow of our highest mountains.
Marine debris does not respect international boundaries and the
problem cannot be solved by one country alone. Combatting marine
debris, including marine plastic litter, requires collaborative efforts
from all stakeholders, public and private. We welcome and actively
support efforts by all U.S. stakeholders to work with governments and
other actors globally to address this problem.
global engagement
Marine debris is a far-reaching issue that impacts environmental
and food security, economic stability, resource management, and
potentially human health. The size and complexity of the challenge is
immense, especially in developing economies that may not have the
appropriate infrastructure or policy apparatus to take effective
action. Our international approach focuses on promoting environmentally
sound waste management, supporting recycling and recycling markets,
promoting sustainable materials management, encouraging innovation to
prevent mismanaged waste from entering the environment, and supporting
debris removal efforts. The United States has a wide array of
technology and expertise to assist countries in improving their waste
management and recycling systems. We are working closely with
colleagues from the Environmental Protection Agency, National Science
Foundation and the Department of Energy to highlight U.S. expertise and
innovation to combat marine debris through new waste management
technologies, materials research, and other cutting-edge solutions. We
also engage with countries to understand the scale and scope of the
problem, supporting efforts to combat land and sea-based sources of
marine debris, promoting government and stakeholder outreach to
positively influence cultural and societal norms, encouraging a more
sustainable approach to plastic use and disposal, and fostering
dialogue to expand research into more recyclable materials and
alternatives. We are dedicated to supporting and highlighting the best
available scientific information and data collection methods necessary
to inform policy makers and private industry about the economic,
environmental, and health implications of marine debris and identify
pollution hot spots.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) is the biggest offender,
responsible for 30 percent of waste, far more than any other country.
Our approach to the PRC is to hold it accountable for addressing its
own waste management issues, both land-based and sea-based, and to do
so with their own resources. Prioritizing our efforts on improving
waste management infrastructure and practices in other major source
countries will yield results, but cultural norms also need to shift to
effect permanent change and solve the longer-term issue. Increased
efforts to curb ghost gear, enhance cross-sectoral collaboration (e.g.,
connecting financial institutions with innovators and entrepreneurs),
and promote innovation throughout product lifecycles will also aid in
solving the marine debris and plastic pollution problem.
As you know, the bipartisan Save our Seas Act of 2018 (Public Law
115-265) directed the State Department to take a comprehensive approach
to its international engagement on marine debris. The Department of
State, through the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and
Scientific Affairs, is working with interagency, private sector,
academic, industry, and non-governmental stakeholders to engage
multilaterally, regionally, and bilaterally with partners around the
world to address marine debris.
The Department of State works with interagency partners in the EPA,
NOAA, USAID, NSF, DOC, DOE, USCG, and USTR to bring together diverse
international stakeholders and underscore the importance of global
cooperation--from the public and private sectors--to prevent and reduce
marine debris. The United Nations has increased its focus on marine
debris in recent years as we have worked extensively to elevate the
issue in bilateral and multilateral fora. In June 2012, U.N.
Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Global Partnership on Marine
Litter. Since then, nations, including the United States, have worked
in concert to prevent and reduce marine debris worldwide, while
mitigating its impact on economies and human and animal health. The
Department of State leads interagency engagement as contributing
members of the U.N. Environment Program's Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert
Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics where we promote the United
States' holistic vision for combatting marine debris. The outputs from
the Expert Group will provide key inputs to policy discussions at the
fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, planned for
February 2021.
We have also advocated for solution that recognize the important
role of the private sector as a key stakeholder that can contribute
towards pragmatic solutions. We continue to engage with private sector-
led initiatives, including the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and
Circulate Capital, which are mobilizing billions of dollars to assist
countries to improve their waste management and recycling systems and
to create a value chain for recycled plastics.
We also work in the G7 and G20 fora to tackle marine debris. In the
G7, we promote better coordination of various country-level initiatives
supporting additional research on microplastics and their impact on
human health, improved scientific monitoring, and advocating for better
use of resources to recover, reduce, recycle and repurpose waste. In
2019 at the G20 Leaders meeting, we worked closely with Japan's G20
Presidency to help develop the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision 2050, which aims
to reduce additional marine plastic litter pollution to zero by 2050.
We also supported the development and adoption of the G20
Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter and the
G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue aimed at increasing mutual
understanding regarding activities and best practices on marine plastic
litter.
We also support working through the existing Regional Seas Programs
and other regional initiatives to address marine debris and marine
plastic litter. The United States is a member of two Regional Seas
Programs that engage neighboring countries to collaborate on preventing
pollution from entering the ocean. Through the Caribbean Environment
Program, created in connection with the Cartagena Convention, we led an
effort to make marine debris reduction a priority. We worked jointly
with EPA launching an initiative in partnership with U.N. Environment
Programme and the Peace Corps to develop community-based trash
reduction projects and create effective solid waste management
policies. Projects in Jamaica and Panama helped those countries to
advance their efforts to keep waste from entering the Caribbean.
Our work in APEC has yielded significant public and private action.
For example, following the success of several workshops in meetings
held in the Asia-Pacific region over the last several years, the
Department of State and our interagency partners at NOAA spearheaded
the establishment of a marine debris sub-fund with nearly a million
dollars in seed funding for projects to combat land-based sources of
marine debris in the APEC region. The estimate of direct economic costs
that I cited earlier--exceeding $10 billion annually in the APEC region
alone--is from a report \1\ that the United States commissioned to
enhance regional and global understanding of the true cost of the
problem. We were also successful in leading an interagency effort with
the Republic of Korea to establish an APEC Roadmap on Marine Debris
that now serves as the guiding document for the organization's efforts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Report available at: https://www.apec.org/Publications/2020/03/
Update-of-2009-APEC-Report-on-Economic-Costs-of-Marine-Debris-to-APEC-
Economies
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In the Pacific Islands, we provide financial and technical support
under the Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and
Environment of the South Pacific Region, also known as the Noumea
Convention. The Department of State is partnering with the U.S. Coast
Guard to enhance Pacific Islands' capacity to combat marine pollution.
Our work has also extended to the Arctic Council, OECD, the IMO, the
ASEAN Regional Forum, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, and
a wide array of other international entities now tasked with working to
address marine debris.
The United States leadership on addressing marine debris,
specifically ghost gear, is also exemplified by our recent joining of
the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI). GGGI is the preeminent
international initiative working to address the problem of ghost gear
and convenes a broad coalition of members, including 15 other countries
and 13 U.S.-based fishing and seafood companies. While our membership
with GGGI only became official a few weeks ago our close collaboration
with GGGI and it's parent organization, the Ocean Conservancy, date
back years as evident by ongoing Department of State grants in the
Indo-Pacific and Caribbean regions.
Supporting U.S. Economic Interests
In international fora, the Department has seen increasing calls for
stopgap solutions to global waste issues, including implementation of
bans on single-use plastics, support for negotiating a legally binding
international agreement on plastics, and the development of measures
that inhibit the global market for recycled goods. Barriers, bans, and
trade restrictions can reduce recycling by lowering the value of
commodities, and often do not consider negative environmental and
economic trade-offs associated with alternative materials.
Beginning in 2018, the PRC implemented its National Sword policy,
banning the import of 24 types of solid waste and scrap material,
including a variety of plastics and unsorted mixed papers. The policy
disrupted a number of the waste management and recycling streams across
the United States and elsewhere that were previously structured for
export to China. These disruptions in the global movement of recycling
commodities continues to reduce market prices and alter trade
relationships and markets. There are also concerns that the National
Sword Policy and similar restrictions will divert waste to countries,
in particular developing countries in Southeast Asia, with
comparatively weaker waste management systems and high rates of waste
leaking into the environment.
More recently, in May 2019, the Conference of the Parties to the
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and Their Disposal amended the Convention to make most non-
hazardous plastic waste and scrap exports subject to the prior informed
consent of the importing country. Beginning on January 1, 2021, the new
plastic waste amendments will prohibit the 187 Basel parties from
trading most plastic waste and scrap with the United States, a non-
Party, except under the terms of a separate agreement or arrangement
with us that provides for environmentally sound management. We
anticipate these amendments will significantly disrupt the global
movement of plastic scrap and potentially cut off U.S. exports and
imports of certain non-hazardous plastic scrap.
This challenge and the broader issue of tackling marine debris
presents opportunities for U.S. businesses. Plastic and other materials
that are recovered can generally be recycled and often traded as
recyclable commodities, creating sustainable supply chains and green
jobs across a diverse set of industrial sectors if we work together to
find the solutions.In 2018, the U.S. solid waste management and
recycling industry generated an estimated $100 billion in revenue. The
global waste management market size is expected to reach $530 billion
by 2025, with the Asia-Pacific region expected to see the highest
compound annual growth rate, at about 6 percent during the period from
2018 to 2025. Expanding overseas markets for U.S. waste management and
recycling services and technologies would yield benefits to American
companies and countries with underdeveloped waste management
infrastructure; a win all around. Our Embassies are vital in helping
U.S. businesses navigate ever-changing national and local conditions,
including market-enabling environmental policies and regulatory
developments, and identifying potential opportunities for U.S. waste
and recycling firms, and the State Department continues to connect U.S.
businesses with our Embassies to provide on-the-ground advice and
information.
programmatic efforts
We are also working bilaterally with key source countries. For
example, the Department of State is working closely with the
interagency and civil society partners to support the Indonesian
government's recently stated ambitious goal of reducing its marine
litter by 70 percent by 2025. As part of that effort, we sponsored a
renowned American marine debris expert, Dr. Jenna Jambeck of the
University of Georgia, as a U.S. Embassy Speaker. With Embassy support,
Dr. Jambeck met with students, academia, civil society, and government
officials in South Africa, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, China, and
Indonesia. The Department of State has also developed an outreach
campaign called Face the Waste to provide educational materials on
environmentally sound waste management techniques and technologies and
highlight the expertise of agencies like EPA, USAID, the Department of
Commerce, USTR, and NOAA. In addition, U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy
sections regularly conduct outreach events to engage and educate the
host country's public on marine debris, as well as inform exporters of
U.S. environmental technology and services about opportunities in
foreign countries.
Over the past 5 years, the Department of State has developed and
managed over $5.8 million dollars in grants to combat marine debris and
plastic pollution. We provided a nearly one million-dollar grant to the
Ocean Conservancy to aid the implementation of Vietnam's National
Action Plan on Marine Debris, to support the informal waste management
sector, and advance additional research into waste pathways into the
marine environment. We also worked with local NGOs in Vietnam to reduce
marine debris via social change in Ly Son Island. The project
established a local steering committee on environmental protection,
conducted training with community leaders, engaged in coastal clean-
ups, and trained households on the proper methods for waste sorting and
recycling and provided reusable shopping bags. We continue to support
the Ocean Conservancy's annual International Coastal Clean-up
activities. We regularly highlight and promote this event, aimed at
building awareness and gathering data around the impact of marine
debris on coastlines. Our embassies also sponsor coastal clean-ups on
Earth Day around the world and participate in the annual International
Coastal Clean-up serving to highlight U.S. commitment to the issue.
Our grant work has a global reach to conduct coastal clean-up
activities and host community outreach events. We also collaborate with
industry to develop and implement alternative materials for fish boxes
tested by the fishing industry to reduce polystyrene marine debris. In
Panama and Costa Rica, our NGO partner provided technical assistance to
six coastal cities that reduced waste, trained municipal officers,
developed local government solid waste management plans, and instituted
a public information plan to incentivize actions that reduce marine
debris. To date, that campaign has reached roughly 1.9 million people.
Grants we implemented in Indonesia and the Philippines aim to reduce
marine debris by building effective waste management and plastic
recycling economies and reduce land-based leakage of plastic waste
through engagement with local governments in over 80 cities to promote
zero-waste systems and product redesign.
Other grants have included work to curb the prevalence of ghost
gear in Peru's coastal waters by collecting and recycling end-of-life
fishing gear. This project has managed to collect more than 220 tons of
end of life fishing nets for recycling annually. In Jamaica and
Grenada, another grant program incentivizes good fisheries management
practices through an insurance product and developed innovative fishing
gear and gear marking technologies to prevent ghost gear from occurring
while facilitating gear recovery.
Currently, the Department is developing a program to support
municipalities in West Africa to improve environmentally sound
management of plastic waste and encourage innovation along the plastic
supply chain to reduce plastic waste leakage into the environment.
As has already been shown, our embassies have been engaged on the
issue as well. Embassy Green Teams develop and support environmentally
friendly activities ranging from promoting the use of reusable water
bottles and packaging at the Embassy to working with host country
partners to reduce local waste generation. For example, Embassy Bangkok
worked closely with the hospitality industry in Phuket, Thailand to
establish a successful waste reduction program in hotels by promoting
reusable container use.
We need innovation in materials and design, changes in behavior,
and significant improvements in waste management systems to reduce the
amount of marine debris and plastic pollution. These solutions should
also vary according to regional and national contexts. For example,
work by manufacturers on automated, high-throughput sorting
technologies to efficiently categorize plastic materials by physical
and chemical characteristics is necessary for nations with well-
established material recovery facilities. But this solution sometimes
does not translate to developing nations where many consumers are
forced to use single-use plastic sachets of daily goods like soap and
detergent, simply because they cannot afford to buy larger containers.
We need different solutions to fit the local realities.
With that in mind, we plan to continue efforts to work in major
source countries to combat land-based sources of marine debris via
development of improved waste management infrastructure, support
recycling and markets for recycled material, encourage innovative
product lifecycle design, promote debris removal, and promote behavior
change, including through demonstration projects, workshops, and public
awareness campaigns. We also plan to combat sea-based sources of marine
debris, particularly ghost gear, by promoting gear-making guidelines
and workshops to share best practices with key target countries. We
will also support the contributions of our interagency partners to
international scientific initiatives, studying the environmental and
economic impact of marine debris globally through monitoring programs,
micro- and nano-plastics research, assessments of land-based sources,
as well as workshops and scientific exchanges with U.S. researchers to
promote U.S. expertise, methodologies, and technologies.
conclusion
These are just a few examples of the State Department's wide-
ranging international engagement on marine debris, working together
with our interagency colleagues, private sector stakeholders, and
international partners. As the Save Our Seas Act of 2018 recognizes,
addressing marine debris is impossible without close coordination both
domestically and internationally. American leadership is critical to
advancing the global effort to combat marine debris by focusing on
effective solutions that are grounded in innovation, environmentally
sound waste management, sustainable materials management, and support
for recycling and recycling markets.
Congress has been an invaluable partner in our efforts and we
greatly appreciate your support and interest in this critical topic.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today and I
would be pleased to answer any questions that you might have.
Senator Graham. Ms. Bekkering.
STATEMENT OF HON. MICHELLE BEKKERING, ASSISTANT
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE BUREAU FOR ECONOMIC
GROWTH, EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENT, UNITED
STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Ms. Bekkering. Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Leahy, and
distinguished Members of the subcommittee, thank you so much
for this opportunity today to testify about the important role
the U.S. Agency for International Development plays in
preventing and reducing ocean plastic pollution. It's truly an
honor to be with you here today.
I'd really like to thank Congress for your strong
bipartisan support and leadership on this issue. I'd also like
to specifically express my gratitude that you have held today's
hearing to shine a spotlight on this development challenge, one
that has been amplified by the current COVID-19 pandemic.
USAID is pleased that the Save Our Seas Act of 2018 set the
stage for increased U.S. Government efforts internationally and
we have appreciated the close cooperation with Members of this
subcommittee and the authors of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act,
Senators Whitehouse, Sullivan, and Menendez.
I also want to note my colleague and friend, Jonathan
Moore, from the Department of State who is joining me here
today.
This topic truly symbolizes the importance of collaboration
between State and USAID in recognizing the strong linkages
between diplomacy and implementation. The scope, as you've
already heard this afternoon, of ocean plastics is profound.
Marine debris, it's estimated that 80 percent of this debris is
plastic and an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic enter
the ocean every year. Notably, 80 percent of that plastic comes
from land-based sources.
Much of this plastic comes from cities and developing
countries that lack the capacity to effectively manage their
waste. In low-income countries, approximately 90 percent of
waste is disposed of in unregulated dumps or just openly
burned.
As the world's premier international development agency,
USAID is well positioned to support our developing country
partners. We focus on locally-led solutions and advance their
journey to self-reliance.
Our programs reflect the fact that solving this problem
requires involvement and action on the part of all stakeholders
with a role in waste management, national, local governments,
civil society and the private sector.
USAID's Municipal Waste Recycling Program launched in 2016
has provided grants to 30 locally-led NGO projects with
innovative and sustainable solutions in Indonesia, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
In Vietnam, which we are so pleased that you had the chance
to visit, our grantees have helped inform a new national action
plan on marine plastics debris management. Launched last year,
our flagship global program, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean, builds
upon our initial set of four partner countries in Asia while
expanding to Latin America by adding Maldives, India, Peru, and
the Dominican Republic.
In addition to providing grants to these local
organizations, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean is providing
specialized technical expertise to enable private sector
engagement, investment in infrastructure while ensuring greater
government transparency and improved local enforcement of
regulations.
USAID also recognizes that the resources and innovations of
the private sector are needed to achieve greater impact. This
year, USAID launched a partnership with the Alliance to End
Plastic Waste. This coalition of 47 multinational companies has
committed $1.5 billion to the mission of ending plastic waste
in the environment.
USAID also recently launched a blended finance partnership
with impact investors Circulate Capital. This leverages more
than $100 million from multinational companies, such as
PepsiCo, Dow, Proctor & Gamble, and Coca-Cola, to catalyze
investments in the recycling value chain in Southeast Asia.
I'm pleased to report that Circulate Capital recently
announced their first investment deal, a loan to a woman-owned
recycling startup company in Indonesia.
In closing, while the challenge of preventing ocean
plastics is daunting and it is significant, we are seeing
success through our programs and our partnerships. To date, our
efforts have diverted more than 3,000 metric tons of plastic
from entering the environment and with interest and missions
all around the world eager to engage, USAID is well placed to
support the U.S. Government in confronting ocean plastic
pollution and achieving sustainable results.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to answering
your questions.
[The statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Michelle Bekkering
ocean plastic pollution
Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Leahy, Distinguished Members of
this subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the
important role the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
plays in preventing and reducing ocean plastic pollution. It is an
honor to be here with you today. USAID is grateful for the ongoing
collaboration with this subcommittee as we work to align our
programming in this area with the scope and complexity of the
challenge.
the problem of ocean plastic pollution and the developing world
The scope of the marine debris challenge is profound. An estimated
80 percent of this debris is plastic, and by 2050 there may be more
plastic than fish by weight in the ocean. Dr. Jenna Jambeck's
pioneering study from 2015 estimated that eight million metric tons of
plastic enter the ocean every year, 80 percent of which comes from
land-based sources. This same study highlighted that the developing
world is at the heart of this global challenge. Solving this problem
requires a strategy that employs a holistic approach to solid waste
management that creates a financially sustainable value chain for
recyclable materials. Recognizing that plastic is an important and
unique component of the waste stream, lasting prevention and reduction
of ocean pollution is only accomplished when all components of the
solid waste stream are managed effectively.
The speed and scale of population growth, urbanization, and
economic expansion in the developing world has led to an unintended
consequence: a dramatic increase in waste. By 2050, waste generated in
low-income countries alone is expected to triple. Yet while solid-waste
management often comprises 20 percent or more of municipal budgets in
developing countries, less than half of all waste is collected. The
waste-collection that does happen often depends on the urban poor, who
serve as ``waste-pickers'' in the informal sector. In low-income
countries, approximately 90 percent of waste is disposed of in
unregulated dumps, or is openly burned.
The result is that much of the plastic that enters the ocean each
year comes from cities and municipalities in developing countries that
lack the systems, policies, infrastructure, and innovations necessary
to manage their waste effectively.
Exacerbating an already-challenging situation, these local systems
have little resilience to external shocks. The current pandemic, for
example, is stressing waste-management systems in many countries.
Responding to COVID-19 has resulted in an increase in the amount of
waste generated--particularly disposable plastic products like masks
and take-out food containers--while simultaneously disrupting the
essential services provided by informal waste-collection workers.
Addressing waste-management at the municipal level is also
particularly challenging because there is no one-size-fits-all
solution--any solution has to be tailored to the local context, and
what works in one community might not work in another. It requires
convening all stakeholders involved in local waste-management:
governments--especially city and municipal ones--as well as civil
society; local communities; and, most important, the private sector,
including local grocery stores, restaurants, shopping malls, national
and multinational companies in the plastics value-chain, and investors.
Governments also often lack capacity: to develop appropriate policies
and regulations; to find sustainable financing solutions; to implement
the enforcement, transparency and accountability needed to attract the
private sector; and to encourage and sustain behavior change in the
public.
USAID recognizes that public resources alone will not solve these
challenges. Developing countries need the financial resources,
technical expertise, and global networks of the private sector to help
drive innovation, catalyze investment in needed infrastructure, and
create more sustainable business models. To that end, USAID is forging
innovative partnerships with businesses--large and small; local and
multinational--across waste-management and recycling value-chains
around the world.
USAID is pleased with the strong bipartisan support in Congress,
especially the Members of this subcommittee, to increase international
engagement to prevent ocean plastic pollution. We also are pleased the
Save Our Seas Act of 2018 acknowledged the complexities of addressing
this challenge globally. The law set the stage for increased U.S.
Government efforts, and encouraged USAID to expand our programming on
this issue. USAID appreciates the close cooperation with the Members of
this subcommittee and the authors of the Save Our Seas 2.0, which makes
it clear that improved capacity underlies a lasting solution to this
challenge.
usaid's approach to addressing ocean plastic pollution
Waste-management is almost always the responsibility of local
governments and communities. So solutions to the challenge of ocean
plastics must start at the local level in the cities and towns where
most ocean plastic pollution originates.
That is where we typically focus our efforts at USAID:
--Working with local governments to improve waste-management services
so that less plastic ends up in the water;
--Working with local schools and community groups to change behavior
around recycling and the proper disposal of waste disposal;
--Working with local companies to promote new innovations and
business models; and
--Working with informal waste-collectors, who are often women, and
form an essential part of the waste-management system in the
countries where we work.
In other words, we work on locally led solutions to help
communities in target countries solve their own development
challenges--what we call the Journey to Self-Reliance, which is our
guiding approach as an Agency.
Ocean plastic pollution is an important issue for USAID, because,
if not addressed, mismanaged waste can undermine USAID's core
development objectives in the environment, governance, economic growth,
and health. In support of the U.S. Government's efforts to combat
marine debris and improve plastic waste management, USAID focuses on
three pillars of action:
--Build national capacity for the management of solid waste and the
``3Rs'' (reduce, reuse, recycle);
--Incentivize recycling in collaboration with the private sector,
while empowering women and protecting workers; and
--Promote innovation and investment in locally appropriate business
models, technologies, and infrastructure.
Much of our work focuses in Asia, which is home to the top five
largest ocean-plastic polluting countries, who collectively produce an
estimated 23 percent of the world's waste. We are also increasingly
expanding our efforts in Latin America in countries like the Republic
of Peru and the Dominican Republic and exploring programming options in
Haiti through an assessment of solid-waste management.
We are implementing this strategy through a suite of programs and
collaborations:
usaid's clean cities, blue ocean
Launched last year, our flagship, 5-year, $48 million global
program, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO), has an initial set of eight
partner countries in Asia and Latin America: the Dominican Republic;
the Republics of India, Indonesia, Maldives, The Philippines, and Peru;
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; and the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam. Implemented by Tetra Tech, CCBO offers state-of-
the-art international technical expertise and sustainable, locally led
solutions through its local-grants program. CCBO is organized around
four primary objectives to achieve between 2019 and 2024:
First, promote reducing, reusing, and recycling--the ``3Rs''--and
strengthen markets for recycled plastic. The ``3Rs'' and improved
waste-management systems are effective ways of reducing the volume of
plastic that flows into our oceans and waterways, but rely on strong,
incentivized recycling markets, supportive infrastructure, and a
suitable enabling environment. To accomplish this, CCBO works to
identify and establish incentives for strengthened markets for reuse
and recycling, improve infrastructure through locally relevant
innovative technologies, and enhance service-delivery models for
increased efficiency and revenues. The program prioritizes locally
centered strategies that empower individuals, provide increased
economic opportunity for women and men, and address sectoral health and
safety challenges.
Second, improve local implementation and enforcement of laws,
policies, and regulations. Although many countries have local- and
national-level laws to safeguard public health and the environment,
regulate the management and reduction of waste, and even incentivize
and strengthen markets for recycling and reuse, implementation and
enforcement often suffers from limited support, resources, and systemic
complexity. CCBO supports partners in the eight focal countries to
develop, implement, and enforce regulatory measures that address local
challenges; improve financing options; and enhance the livelihoods of
the millions who work in, or are otherwise affected by, the sector.
Third, build social and behavior change for the ``3Rs'' and
sustainable solid-waste management. CCBO works to shift ingrained
behaviors around recycling and the disposal of solid waste in
households, businesses, and governments. The program uses a
participatory approach, by working hand in hand with community members,
local organizations, women, youth, and independent waste-collectors,
with support from both the public and private sectors.
Fourth, forge new private-sector partnerships for improved impact,
sustainability, and forward-looking commitments. Around the world,
momentum and interest in combating ocean plastics pollution is rapidly
increasing; however, we cannot solve this problem alone. Success
depends on strong partnerships, good coordination, and improved
evidence about what solutions are most effective, and in which
contexts. CCBO works to build sustainable partnerships, increase the
capacity and knowledge of those that can offer support, and garner
commitments from the public sector, multi-stakeholder alliances, and
intergovernmental organizations for continued progress--within and
beyond the program's lifetime.
In collaboration with global, regional, national, and local
stakeholders, CCBO will test, scale, and share inclusive and
sustainable solutions to promote ``3R'' practices, improve the
management of waste, and combat plastic pollution in key countries at
the heart of the crisis of ocean plastic pollution.
CCBO is dedicated to identifying local challenges, opportunities,
and practices to develop locally relevant solutions tailored to
individual public- and private-sector actors, local realities,
community members, and waste value-chains.
usaid's municipal-waste recycling program
The Municipal-Waste Recycling Program (MWRP), launched by USAID in
October 2016, has provided grants to 30 locally led projects with
innovative and sustainable solutions in Indonesia, The Philippines, Sri
Lanka, and Vietnam. According to the 2015 Jambeck report, these four
nations are the top source countries of ocean plastics after the
People's Republic of China: in total, they contribute more than 3.4
million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste each year.
Managed by a small business, Development Innovations Group, MWRP's
grants have focused on three key topics:
1. Strengthening local actors and their collaboration to render
urban systems more effective in managing solid waste and reducing
marine plastics pollution;
2. Applied research to identify locally appropriate technology and
improve decisionmaking processes related to the recycling and
management of urban solid waste; and
3. Enabling the private sector to develop and implement market-
driven solutions to marine plastics pollution and strengthen the
recycling value-chain.
MWRP grantees have supported governments, national and local, of
the four target countries in reviewing, revising, and strengthening
enforcement of existing laws and regulations and introducing new
regulations. More than 40 local governments across Indonesia, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam have committed to combating plastic
waste. The accomplishments of the 30 MWRP grantees include creating
more than 1,300 jobs in solid-waste management, more than half of which
have gone to women; recycling more than 3,100 metric tons of plastic
waste; improving working conditions for more than 2,500 independent
waste-collectors; and engaging more than 96,000 youth and more than
163,000 households, businesses, and schools on improving their waste-
management behaviors.
MWRP is developing valuable lessons learned from these grant
projects that inform not just USAID's broader efforts on this issue,
but also those of the global community, including other donors, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and national governments. USAID is
sharing these lessons actively in various national, regional and
international fora, such as the Fisheries and Chemical Working Groups
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. USAID also has
shared lessons learned in Asia with other regions, such as with the
Workshop on Marine Debris held under the Dominican Republic-Central
America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
private-sector engagement
USAID firmly believes that private enterprise is the single most-
powerful force for lifting lives, strengthening communities, and
accelerating self-reliance. As such, working collaboratively with the
private sector is central to USAID's approach to combating ocean
plastic pollution. USAID's development expertise helps private-sector
solutions to flourish by addressing foundational issues, like improving
governance, supporting policy and regulatory reforms, and incentivizing
innovation and behavior change within host countries.
This year, USAID launched a partnership with the Alliance to End
Plastic Waste, a coalition of more than 40 leading companies that have
committed to invest $1.5 billion towards solutions to end plastic
waste. This partnership is exciting because it brings together
companies from across the globe involved in all stages of the plastics
value-chain--including businesses that make, use, sell, process,
collect, and recycle plastics, as well as retailers and consumer-goods
and waste-management companies. Through CCBO, USAID and the Alliance
will deploy innovative, locally appropriate technologies,
infrastructure, and business models to improve waste-management and
recycling in cities and communities at the heart of the crisis in ocean
plastics pollution. Our partnership will also work to improve the
livelihoods, health, and safety of waste workers--both formal and
informal.
USAID also recently launched a blended-finance partnership with
impact investor Circulate Capital to catalyze investment in the
recycling value-chain in South and Southeast Asia. To incentivize and
de-risk additional lending in this sector, USAID is providing a $35
million, 50-percent loan-portfolio guarantee through the U.S.
International Development Financing Corporation (DFC). The partial loan
guarantee is a tool designed to attract private capital to a blended-
finance fund and offer protection to investors by lowering the downside
risk of loss, which makes investment in developing markets more
appealing. As a result, Circulate Capital has been able to raise more
than $100 million from multinational companies such as PepsiCo, Procter
& Gamble, Dow, Coca-Cola, Chevron Phillips, Danone, and Unilever to
invest in much-needed recycling businesses and infrastructure.
I am pleased to note that, in April2020, Circulate Capital made its
first loan backed by this guarantee to Tridi Oasis, an Indonesia-based,
women-owned recycling company. Tridi Oasis recycles plastic bottles
into new packaging and textiles that are made of recycled plastic. This
investment will enable the company to set up a larger recycling
facility and expand operations to recycle additional types of plastic,
and is particularly meaningful because it aligns with another priority
for USAID: women's economic empowerment.
women's economic empowerment
While the challenge of ocean plastics is clear, one important
aspect of the solution is often overlooked--the role of women. From
waste-pickers to recycling entrepreneurs, educators to advocates, women
play a crucial role in improving the systems, policies and practices
for how we manage plastic waste.
I am proud that all of our programs and partnerships have a strong
focus on empowering women as entrepreneurs and decision-makers in the
traditionally male-dominated waste-management sector, like the Tridi
Oasis investment under Circulate Capital. Women also play an important
role in household decisionmaking. For example, in Sri Lanka, our local
partner is working with 17 community-based organizations to train women
leaders in household waste-management, recycling and composting. These
community organizations are, in turn, training thousands of their
neighbors in separating waste at the source and linking them to
independent waste-collectors that are operating in their communities.
In Vietnam, our local partner collaborated with the Women's Union
in Da Nang city to recycle more than 42 metric tons of plastic waste
that previously went uncollected. Engagement with female neighborhood
leaders helped gain community buy-in to improve the management of solid
waste.
results from selected countries
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenge of ocean
plastics. Achieving progress requires local solutions tailored to the
unique contexts of each country and region. Understanding the unique
dynamics, constraints and opportunities in each locality is essential
for successful programming. For that reason, I would like to provide
some additional detail on promising results from a few key countries of
interest.
Vietnam
Vietnam is the fourth-largest source of ocean plastics pollution.
Its growing urban populations and demand for consumer goods with
increased plastic packaging continue to outpace its waste system's
capacities, which has led to environmental leakage. With rapid
urbanization, especially in the last decade, Vietnam's urban population
is expected to surpass its number of rural residents by 2050.
Vietnam has a coastline of more than 2,100 miles and sits astride
the Mekong and Red Rivers, which pick up plastics from communities
along their paths and ultimately flow through to the ocean. To address
the already crisis levels of plastics in marine and other natural
environments and prepare for continued urban growth, Vietnam must shift
to a more robust waste-collection, recycling, and disposal system with
enhanced infrastructure, more sustainable production and consumption
habits, and strengthened or alternative markets for recycled and
reusable products.
In Vietnam, USAID's grantees have helped inform a new National
Action Plan on the Management of Marine Plastic Debris, issued in late
2019. The national plan includes efforts to scale good practices in the
collection, separation, transportation, and treatment of plastic waste
in coastal and marine areas; facilitate the development of suitable
facilities to collect and store solid waste; mobilize international and
private-sector partnerships to produce alternative products, increase
recycling, and shift to a circular economy and green growth; and
research, develop, apply, and transfer technologies and techniques to
treat and minimize ocean plastics. USAID's CCBO program will aim to
build on MWRP's successes and support Vietnam's National Action Plan.
CCBO will focus work in Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Bien Hoa, and Hue City.
MWRP's grantees in Vietnam have engaged in private-sector
partnerships to reduce plastic waste, empowered women and independent
waste-collectors, created local models of cleaning up cities that can
be scaled, and developed effective local and national policies. An MWRP
grantee in Ho Chi Minh City improved the livelihoods, health, and
working conditions of more than 1,900 independent waste-collectors,
including by successfully advocating to double fees paid by households
to these collectors. Empowering women and independent waste-collectors
helped initiate the segregation of waste in more than 68,000 households
and establishments across all MWRP's target cities in Vietnam and
diverted more than 1,100 metric tons of plastic waste from the ocean.
The Philippines
The Philippines--composed of more than 7,500 islands--is the
world's third-largest plastic polluter of the marine environment.
Keeping waste out of the ocean is a challenge because of rising
consumer consumption--with the country generating 2.7 million tons of
plastic waste annually--and ineffective waste-management systems. Much
of the country's solid waste ends up in open dumping sites, which allow
leakage to waterways and threaten livelihoods in key sectors such as
tourism and fishing.
National laws, such as the Republic Act (RA) 9003/Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act of 2000, and local regulations around the
management of solid waste have been in place in the Philippines for
many years. However, local government units that are responsible for
waste-management have inadequate financial resources, limited
capacities for enforcement, and low public awareness of the harmful
impacts of plastics in the environment. Across the Philippines, local
governments struggle to keep pace with the volumes of waste being
generated, including the more than 163 million single-serving plastic
``sachets'' bought especially by the urban poor for their daily needs
like shampoo, coffee, and oil.
In the Philippines, CCBO seeks to develop, test, and implement new
models that promote the ``3Rs'' and enhance the management of solid
waste; facilitate partnerships and investment around key needs, such as
infrastructure; and strengthen local systems to build the Philippines'
resiliency and self-reliance. CCBO will focus work in Metro Manila,
Batangas City, and Iloilo City.
MWRP's grantees in the Philippines worked to support the cleanup of
Manila Bay, achieve impact through private-sector partnerships,
introduce the innovative delivery and scaling of zero-waste approaches,
and develop effective policies and infrastructure. For example, SM
Supermalls, which owns and operates 74 malls nationwide that welcome
4.3 million visitors a day and, through social media, reach an
additional four million people, worked with an MWRP grantee to carry
out information and communication initiatives in 50 malls around Manila
Bay. Through exhibits, movies, and social media, millions of mall
tenants and customers are learning about the issue of mismanaged
plastic waste. In Bacolod City and nearby towns on the Visayan island
of Negros in the center of the country, an MWRP grantee is reducing
plastic packaging from consumer products by establishing eight zero-
waste convenience stores (called Wala Usik--``Nothing Wasted''--in the
local language of Hiligaynon) where consumers buy bulk products by
using their own reusable containers.
Indonesia
Research shows that Indonesia contributes as much as 1.29 million
metric tons of plastic waste to the ocean annually, which makes it the
world's second-largest polluter by total mass of mismanaged plastic
debris. The Government of Indonesia is pursuing national-level
strategies and policies for the management of solid waste and is
implementing a national action plan to address ocean plastic pollution.
Local governments, though, often lack the funding needed to implement
city-level initiatives. As the fourth-most populous nation in the world
and a nation with a massive coastal population, Indonesia represents a
critical opportunity to confront the challenge of ocean plastic
pollution.
MWRP's grantees in Indonesia have focused on establishing
partnerships with the private sector, bolstering sustainability and
self-reliance in their communities, developing scalable models for
effective and inclusive waste-management, and using geospatial data and
technology in innovative ways to confront the challenge of ocean
plastic pollution. For example, one of the MWRP's grantees is providing
geospatial data to the city government of Denpasar, crowdsourced by
youth volunteers through a mobile app that helps the city map transfer
points and illegal dumping sites. These data are helping build the
capacity of the municipal government and the private sector to improve
the collection and recycling of plastic waste. Also, in Semarang in
Central Java, an MWRP grantee launched a public-private partnership
between local authorities; 54 local waste banks that are serving more
than 6,500 households; and companies, including the major food-
manufacturing company PT Indofood. The partnership with PT Indofood
specifically focuses on increasing the recycling of low-value plastics,
such as noodle wrappers, to reduce the leakage of plastic waste into
the city's waterways. In Kepulauan Seribu (the ``Thousand Islands''),
north of Jakarta, an MWRP grantee is expanding recycling services by
connecting the informal sector to recycling companies. The MWRP
grantee, with the private sector, is also promoting bulk sales in
stores where customers can refill reusable containers with daily
household products to reduce plastic packaging waste, which is
especially important on small islands where the first step is to reduce
the volume of plastic waste to manage.
looking forward
Throughout all our activities, USAID identifies and pilots
innovative approaches; employs rigorous evaluation and metrics to
identify what works and what does not work; and gathers and shares the
evidence with partners, other donors, and the private sector to scale
up programs that are effective and efficient.
While the challenge is daunting, there are tremendous
opportunities. USAID has significantly increased our work to address
these challenges, and we will continue to expand our investments in
this area using well-designed, sustainable approaches at the national
and sub-national levels to make progress on the ground and reduce
waste. With Missions around the world eager to engage, USAID is well-
placed to support the USG in playing a leading role to confront ocean
plastic pollution.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to answering your
questions.
Senator Graham. Senator Leahy, you can lead us off. I'll
just go at the end.
Senator Leahy. I'm worried about the amount of resources
USAID allocates for ocean plastic pollution programs. USAID is
planning to spend $12 million on waste recycling and ocean
plastic pollution programs in fiscal year 2020. That's $12
million for the whole world. We probably spend that much in my
small State of Vermont.
If Congress gave you double or triple those resources, how
would USAID use them to more effectively address ocean plastic
pollution?
Ms. Bekkering. Well, Senator Leahy, thank you for the
question and----
Senator Leahy. And tell Senator Graham, too, because we're
going to write the bill together.
Ms. Bekkering. Well, then I'll tell Senator Graham, as
well.
No, really, and first of all, I can't overestimate we
really are so thankful for the strong support we have gotten
from this subcommittee specifically for the resources we have
to date.
Senator Graham, you know a gentleman named Mark Green, and
I know you have heard this from him in many testimonies over
the last couple years. There's never going to be enough money
in our public resources to meet all of our development
challenges.
What I think we have been very good at doing is being very
strategic in targeting our investments specifically to the four
biggest offenders of contributing to plastic waste.
Senator Graham. Well, the question was if you had more
money, could you wisely use it?
Ms. Bekkering. Absolutely.
So what we would do is definitely increase our footprint.
That will be the biggest challenge.
You heard earlier right now Asia is the largest
contributor. Latin America and Africa are close on its heels
and by 2050 we're going to see the amount triple. We would
increase our footprints, working with our missions and partner
countries on this.
We would also increase the amount of work we're doing with
local stakeholders. We need to invest more money in working to
build the capacity of the local governments to make sure these
results are sustainable.
So these investments actually need to cross sectors. We
need to look at more of how this affects livelihoods as well as
food security and, finally, we need to increase our engagement
in partnerships with the private sector to harness their
capital.
Senator Leahy. Well, let's talk about joining with other
countries. I'd direct this question to the Ambassador, too.
What kind of international agreements on ocean pollution is
the U.S. party to now, and do those international agreements
allow us to advocate for stronger controls along the lines of
what you just discussed?
Ms. Bekkering. So I would have to defer that question to my
colleague at the State Department.
Before I do that, what I will say is USAID's unique role in
that is working with the local and subnational governments on
action plans so that (1) they're mobilizing their own resources
to invest in waste management systems and, secondly, to make
sure they are actually providing regular waste disposal and
recycling.
So our work is more focused on individual countries, but
I'll defer----
Senator Leahy. Well, a lot of our waste has been sorted for
recycling and sent to poorer countries that don't know how to
handle it. There's a lot more we have to be doing here, too, to
stop producing so much waste.
But I want to focus on the basic question. What
international associations or agreements are we involved in
that would give us a voice and a responsibility in reducing
ocean pollution?
Mr. Moore. Well, Senator, thank you for the question. One
international agreement that we are tracking closely on this
issue and it relates, as well, to the important issue of trade
in recycled materials between the United States and its
immediate neighbors, including Vermont's neighbor to the north,
Canada, is the Basel Convention and its amendments on plastic
waste that does regulate the matter of trade in plastic waste.
The United States, however, is not a party to the Basel
Convention. One direct consequence of that is that as of
January 1, 2021, there will be changes that will make it much
more difficult for the United States to export plastic scrap.
So we do have to deal with the countries who are part of the
Basel Convention. Although the Convention dates from about 30
years ago, we're not actually a party to it.
In terms of discussions in different multilateral fora and,
of course, with any number of countries bilaterally, we are
trying to deal with these issues and we have many embassies
actively engaged and, of course, USAID.
Senator Leahy. Would it help if we were party to the Basel
Convention?
Mr. Moore. The Administration does not have a view on that.
That is something that would require a tremendous amount of
domestic implementing legislation. We are certainly prepared to
be part of that discussion.
Senator Leahy. Okay. I have follow-up questions, but I'll
submit them for the record, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Thank you, Senator Leahy.
Senator Boozman.
Senator Leahy. Thank you both for being here. Every one of
us here wishes we could wave a magic wand and make the
situation better. I know we can't, but I think we all agree
that we and the rest of the world need to work together to deal
with this.
Mr. Moore. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Graham. I agree.
Senator Leahy. Thank you, Lindsey.
Senator Graham. Thank you, sir.
Senator Boozman.
Senator Boozman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member
Leahy, for holding this important hearing.
We appreciate you all being here, appreciate all of your
hard work.
Myself and Senator Carper are co-chairs of the Recycling
Caucus which is very, very active. I'm on lots of caucuses. I
think that's probably one of the most active in the Senate and
really is doing a lot of good work.
Ms. Bekkering, again, you know, recycling is such a no-
brainer. It's a win-win situation. What a lot of people don't
realize is that it also creates a lot of good jobs in relation
to recycling. So you get the benefit of cleaning up the oceans,
cleaning up and so many other things, which we all want, but it
also is a big economic engine.
Can you talk a little bit about that?
Ms. Bekkering. Absolutely. And again thank you for your
leadership on the issues specifically with recycling.
So to your point, so when I look at the Municipal Waste
Recycling Program, to date we have created 1,300 jobs and 50
percent of those jobs have actually been for women, so offering
them, you know, just a vital source of economic empowerment.
But it is primarily an issue. So when we look at the
countries in the developing world and we specifically look at
where in many local communities and especially rural areas,
there is not regulated waste services or management--there we
see. We see the informal sector.
So what we have done is (1) provide safety training and
livelihood training for what we call these informal waste
pickers. We've also worked in countries like Indonesia to
create what we call waste banks, so that these informal waste
collectors can collect plastics, deposit them at this waste
bank and then, much like here where in some States you get a
deposit for each piece, they get paid for what they deposit in
this waste bank and then we connect that, of course, to a
larger facility so there's economy of scale.
So it really can't be overestimated specifically noting how
much of this is done by really the urban poor in many
countries. This is an area where we really have seen results in
supporting this economic livelihoods aspect.
Senator Boozman. Very good. I know another key is industry
and Walmart Headquarters is probably about three or four miles
from where I live. So I know that in their case, they got very
active with wanting to reduce fuel consumption, which is great
for the environment, but also wanting to reduce the packaging.
So it turned out that when they looked at what the trucks
were hauling, it wasn't weight that was the limiting factor, it
was the capacity on the truck, and so they basically said, we
sell a lot of your products, make the packages smaller, and as
a result that came about and then others followed in with that.
So that was certainly a win-win situation.
I know the Every Bottle Back Initiative is a great
initiative which has resulted in plastic bottles being 100
percent recyclable, including bottle caps that consumers may
still be throwing in the trash, which will give them a little
bit of education, which we all need.
But tell us, to your knowledge, how industry can be helpful
particularly in places like Asia.
Ms. Bekkering. It's a great question and it's honestly why
we have focused really one of our three pillars under this on
working with the private sector and working with industries.
You know, the public sector cannot solve this problem on
its own. We really do need to work with the private sector and
to your point, using the Walmart example, one of the things we
see by working with the private sector is we can really harness
not only their resources but their innovations and those
innovations are fantastic.
It's working with them as partners. So in a case like that,
it's reducing the amount of packaging or it's making sure that
we can provide more than, you know, single-use packets of any
sort of item.
We recently, as I mentioned earlier, signed an MOU last
month with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and I think what's
been such a success story is seeing that a lot of these leading
companies in the plastics value chain, they're committed to the
same outcomes we are, which is making sure this plastic does
not end up in the ocean, and again by harnessing their
innovations and their resources, we're really multiplying our
impact.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Senator Coons.
Senator Coons. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member.
I just want to thank you for your leadership in addressing
issues that are bipartisan, that are global, that have an
impact on development and on the human condition, and to
Senator Boozman for working so well with my senior Senator on
recycling when he was governor. My senior Senator was known for
interrupting meetings to get up, walk over and pull a plastic
bottle out of the trash can and sort of berate everyone. He is
quite passionate about it. I'm glad you are, as well, and your
focus on working with a global leader like Walmart on helping
them change packaging is just the kind of example of a positive
personal engagement with the private sector that it's going to
take to make progress on this. So thank you.
To our witnesses today, thank you for what you're doing to
deliver engagement and leadership at State and AID on this
critical issue.
As I'm sure you both are abundantly aware, this is a global
issue that knows no boundaries and is going to require
significant increase in American leadership, engagement, and
investment in order to bend the curve.
I am the co-sponsor of a bill called The Sustainable
Chemistry Research and Development Act. I trained as a chemist.
I worked in industry for years. Senator Collins and I have been
working on this for awhile and part of the goal is just to do
more of the work, coordinate more of the work between Federal,
academic, and private sector research around the chemistries
that are needed to develop plastics that degrade in the marine
environment, among many other changes.
I also think Save Our Seas 2.0, which was addressed by
Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse, who were here before I
arrived, would be a significant step forward in terms of
increasing our investment.
Let me ask two questions of you, if I could. PROBLUE is a
World Bank Initiative that supports the sustainable development
of coastal resources and my impression is they're emerging as a
large player in the fight against ocean plastic pollution.
How important do you think this initiative is or could be
to the global effort, and how do you think the U.S. can best
support PROBLUE? If you would, Ms. Bekkering, and then
Ambassador Moore.
Ms. Bekkering. Great. Well, again, thank you for your
leadership and thank you for your participation in today's
hearing.
So the PROBLUE Fund, we know of it. We coordinate with it
at USAID, and it is definitely one way to increase donor
coordination and pool resources.
I would just mention, though, that USAID has gift
authority, which actually allows us to accept and pool funding
from other donors as well as other multilateral platforms, and
when it comes to something like, let's say, a global fund like
this, especially a multilateral fund, the one thing I would say
is I think, you know, at USAID, we're really targeted at
looking what part of the challenge can be best served by the
work we're doing on the ground with our partners directly, also
recognizing, frankly, that it gives us more oversight over how
we're spending our taxpayer dollars than if we put it in a
pooled fund that's managed by an IFI (International Financial
Institution).
So again working with them, but I would say outside of even
something like PROBLUE, we are able to do this type of work and
we are working and we're constantly in, you know,
communications with our other partners, like the U.K., Japan,
Norway, to see what more can be done and how we can----
Senator Coons. So if there were a significant increase in
U.S. taxpayer investment to create a global fund, would you
instead suggest it be housed at USAID in order to accomplish
the oversight of the funds, the coordination that you were just
referencing?
Ms. Bekkering. I think in such a fund we could definitely,
yes, see maximum impact and a multiplier effect of the great
work we're already doing with limited resources.
Senator Coons. Ambassador Moore.
Mr. Moore. Senator, thank you for the question. From a
State Department perspective, the World Bank PROBLUE Fund
currently supports a variety of ocean fisheries-related
activities and some of them are related exactly to the question
we're discussing today.
Sort of an initial thought on this. We're a little
concerned with their advocacy to reduce upstream production and
use of plastics that could undermine the growing recycling
market. We look forward to working with them, though, as we
work with the World Bank in a variety of levels.
As a possible alternative, the Global Environmental
Facility would be a strong alternative to PROBLUE. The GEF is
uniquely positioned to advance U.S. priorities on marine litter
pollution and we're a member of the GEF Council. We've had a
long history of shaping its programming to advance U.S.
interests. So that might be a way of looking at it.
The bottom line is we're in discussions with the World Bank
about PROBLUE. There's a little bit of skepticism, including on
the issues back and forth about the potential for recycling and
what's produced, but we are tracking that initiative.
Senator Coons. Well, as we've worked to address things like
global hunger or global pandemics, global funds have often been
a tool used and some of them are structured in ways that really
ensure American leadership, engagement, and direction. Some of
them are engaged in ways that recognize that there are limits
to where we can go.
There are certain countries where our engagement in hunger
relief isn't welcomed and so it's got to be done through a U.N.
entity and we've got our own direct support and there's global
partnerships.
In pandemic work, there's also a very constructive, I
think, feedback loop between what philanthropy is doing, what
the U.S. Government is doing, and what the private sector is
doing, and what the world community is doing.
Let me ask specifically, if I could, about ghost gear. My
father spent 25 years in the commercial fishing industry and
fishing gear that's discarded at sea that keeps having negative
impacts, as you talked about at length, is closely associated
with other problems that illegal, unreported, and unregulated
(IUU) fishing cause.
I thought it was great that you signed on to the Global
Ghost Gear Initiative, but I'd be interested in hearing what
more you think State and USAID can do with partners in the
international fishing community to both address this key part
of ocean pollution but also to strengthen our coordination
around IUU fishing.
Mr. Moore. Senator Coons, thank you for that question, as
well.
I was very happy to sign on to the Global Ghost Gear
Initiative recently on behalf of the State Department and the
United States. We are in these early days learning what their
best approaches are for dealing with this issue. It's something
else that we're learning about, as well.
As you mentioned, it relates to IUU fishing. It creates
hazards for navigation. It's a very comprehensive issue. These
nets are out there catching fish that are not being consumed
and further damaging the environment.
It's an international coalition that we're pleased to be
part of and as they develop these ideas, we're working with, of
course, our colleagues in the interagency, Fish and Wildlife
Service, and NOAA, as well, to better understand the scope of
the problem and the impact that ghost gear is having.
It is something that is sort of new for us to be taking on.
So exactly speculating on the scope of how we can best play a
role, I'm not in a position to do that today. I'm prepared to
follow up with you or your staff after today with further
information and to take the question for more detail.
Senator Coons. I just will close, if I could, by saying how
pleased I was to see just the range of engagement from UNEP and
the Peace Corps doing community-based activities all over the
world and littoral communities to what you were testifying
about in terms of Circulate Capital and what impact investors
are doing, to what some of the largest, most globally-
integrated companies that have an American footprint are doing.
So please note my passionate interest in the field and my
interest in working with both of you and with your offices to
help advance it and with the Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing today and
for your interest in this important subject.
Senator Graham. Well, thank you. You've been terrific to
work with on this.
So, Senator Shaheen, I'll be very quick. Here's my take-
away. Is it $12 million that we allocate for this?
Ms. Bekkering. Yes.
Senator Graham. Okay. That's going to end. So we're going
to give you a lot more money.
Ms. Bekkering. Okay.
Senator Graham. Okay.
Ms. Bekkering. The answer is yes.
Senator Graham. We're going to give you a lot more money.
The Basel Agreement Convention, is that what you said, Mr.
Moore?
Mr. Moore. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Okay. How old is that?
Mr. Moore. It dates from around 1989 or 1990.
Senator Graham. Don't you think we need a new one?
Mr. Moore. We'd be happy to have a further discussion on
that. No Administration since that time has chosen to join the
Convention.
Senator Graham. Well, so if we don't like that one, let's
create a new one.
Mr. Moore. I don't want to speculate, Mr. Chairman, but to
find a way forward, we're certainly happy to discuss that
directly with you.
Senator Graham. Okay. It seems to me this would be an issue
that the world should come together on. I know there's probably
business interests in different countries that feel put upon,
but I'd like you to report back to us about why no
Administration joined this Convention, you know, give me a page
or two, and what would you do to replace it, because being left
out is not a good place to be, right? Maybe there's a good
reason nobody's joined it, but somebody needs to join
something, you know.
We're the biggest like fish in the sea, no pun intended,
and we need to get in the game here.
So the global fund idea, I really think the subcommittee is
very inclined to put some money in a global fund and we need
your feedback as to how we can control it and entice other
donors. It's worked, you know, in dealing with AIDS and malaria
and I think this is a good place for this subcommittee to lay
down a new marker, and put some money in that would entice
others.
As to the PROBLUE Multi-Donor Trust Fund, what's the
average contribution of Canada, the U.K., Germany, and France?
Do you know?
Mr. Moore. Mr. Chairman, I do not.
Senator Graham. Okay.
Mr. Moore. I can find out.
Senator Graham. Okay. If you would, I'd appreciate it.
[The information follows:]
As of July 2020, the PROBLUE fund has secured donor commitments
worth $109,347,387. The U.K. is not a current donor.
Current PROBLUE donors include:
Canada................................. $46,436,210
Sweden................................. $31,261,420
Norway................................. $20,861,385
Germany................................ $5,472,810
Denmark................................ $2,956,437
Iceland................................ $1,400,000
France................................. $959,125
Senator Graham. What I want to find out is why we're not
participating. There may be a good reason, but it seems to me
that we need to join something, but we're not joining anything.
So we've got $12 million. I'm not blaming you. This has been
going on for a long time. So what I'd like to have happen is
for us to start joining things or create new things for others
to join that we lead, have the Congress more involved in terms
of a global fund that would attract investors, and I want to
know why we don't participate in the PROBLUE Trust Fund. Can
you give me a 30-second answer why we don't?
Mr. Moore. There hasn't been a decision to fully
participate because of some of the speculation, as I understand
it, that the PROBLUE Fund has focused more on what should or
shouldn't be produced rather than dealing with what actually
has been produced and constitutes the plastic waste.
Senator Graham. Well, it seems to me you might need to do
both, right?
Mr. Moore. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. So I would encourage you to try to join
this thing, unless there's just really not a good reason to do
it, and I think this subcommittee would put some money in to
pay whatever fee it is to join. So my take-aways are that $12
million's not nearly enough, the problem is global in nature,
the global fund would be a good start for this subcommittee,
and I think the Congress and the administration should start
leading by example, and if you could get back with me as to why
we're not in the PROBLUE Trust Fund or the Basel Convention,
I'd appreciate it.
Mr. Moore. I will do that, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. And I'll end with this. I think all of us
want to do more and if we can't join these organizations, let's
find out why we can't and see if they'll change or create an
alternative that we can join, because we need to lead the world
on this.
Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you for holding this very important hearing today. Thank you to
our witnesses for testifying. I'm sorry I missed much of the
questioning.
I do want to follow up a little bit on the Chairman's
comments, but first I want to pick up on a comment that you
made, Ambassador Moore, that I didn't really understand. You
talked about the growing recycling market.
It's my understanding that only about 9 percent of all
plastic waste generated has been recycled and that current
projections show a dramatic increase in the production of
plastic and that many of the markets where we were sending our
plastic in the United States have dried up. So that in China
and a number of the other Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, have all reduced the
markets for recycling.
So I was just curious what you were referring to when you
talked about the growing recycling market.
Mr. Moore. Senator Shaheen, thank you for the question. I
had the opportunity in my testimony to talk about this a bit.
It's our understanding, including through the Department of
Commerce, that the recycling market is actually expanding. That
includes here in the United States, that the global recycling
market will have a value of $530 billion by the year 2025.
Senator Shaheen. I'm sorry. Can you give us a little more
detail when you say the recycling markets are expanding in the
United States? I know that we have had in New Hampshire several
recycling operations that are no longer operating now. Can you
talk about where that's happening and who's behind it, what's
the capital or the companies that are doing that?
Mr. Moore. Senator, thank you for the question, and I
respect your interest in having greater detail. I apologize I
don't have greater detail with me. I would be happy to take the
question and provide specific information to you, but this
relates to, for example, cross-border trade between Canada and
the United States in recycled materials.
One of the issues is there's more interest in recycling if
it's more economically advantageous to do that. No business
seeks the opportunity if the materials to be recycled become
priced out of the market either because of transport costs or
other economic limitations, then the market does actually
reduce and then there's less commercial or economic motivation
to recycle.
So those are factors, but with regard to specific
information, I recognize that you should have details and I
will provide them to you and your staff as a taken question.
Senator Shaheen. That would be great. If you could take
that for the record,----
Mr. Moore. Yes.
Senator Shaheen [continuing]. I'd appreciate it.
I do want to follow up on Senator Graham's questions about
international cooperation because this administration has
pulled the United States away from a number of international
cooperative efforts and it seems to me that on an issue like
how we get rid of plastics worldwide is something that we've
got to cooperate with other countries on.
So can you talk about how we are working with other
countries or with other multilateral institutions to address
plastic?
Mr. Moore. Senator, thank you for that, as well. I would
say there are a number of fora, multilateral, and bilateral. We
are very active in the U.N. Environmental Program, based in
Nairobi. The head of that, Inger Andersen, is a dual citizen of
both the United States and Denmark and is doing a lot to lead
UNEP through discussions on topics like this. This is a topic
which has come up in sessions of the U.N. Environmental
Assembly.
We were anticipating it would be coming up soon when UNEP
meets again. That's been postponed because of the pandemic.
Bilaterally, we have seen a lot of successes. We talked
quite a bit about, to just give one country as an example,
Vietnam that is very keen to partner with us in terms of being
more responsible with regard to plastic waste, building its
capacity and its approaches. This is something that USAID is
deeply involved in, as well, in terms of any number of issues.
We see countries like that that are very keen to cooperate with
us to look at commercial ways to address this problem.
There was a discussion a little while ago also about
packaging. Are there alternatives to plastic? This is a matter
which, you know, diplomats in the field are working on directly
because what is a suitable package for soap or food or
something else in one country is not going to be the same in an
economy with more limited means.
Some people, instead of buying a couple of gallons or
liters of something, buy it in a little packet, but that's
still made out of plastic and still may constitute something
which ends up in the oceans.
So we're trying to calibrate with regard to all of this
country by country where there are opportunities and in key
multilateral fora, including the U.N. Environmental Program.
Senator Shaheen. And when you talk about Vietnam being
interested in cooperating with us, are they interested in
taking plastic from the United States and then recycling it to
other uses or exactly how are they interested in working with
us?
Mr. Moore. In my experience, recently they've been very
keen to work with us on a variety of multilateral issues if
it's commercially viable to recycle in Vietnam. That is
something that I believe they would make the decision to do. If
it's not, they would look in other areas.
Vietnam currently sits with us on the U.N. Security Council
and they also are chairing ASEAN and they've shown a lot of
vision on a host of international issues. We have had some
discussions with their Embassy here in Washington about trying
to partner better.
I apologize. I'm fairly new in the job and have not been
able to see things through, other than the past couple of
months, but I can tell you the level of interest in just that
one country and in many others is very intense.
I have to reiterate the point that I made earlier, which is
that the worst source of plastic pollution, nearly 30 percent,
comes from the People's Republic of China. For a host of
reasons that you, Senator, and the committee and many others,
everyone in the Senate is aware of, our relations with the
People's Republic of China are not such that we see the
inherent partnership developing there on this issue, but with
Vietnam and a number of other countries, Indonesia and
elsewhere, they understand the problem, they see the problem
concretely on the shore of lakes and rivers, and, of course,
the ocean, and so there are a lot of practical partnerships
that we can build both with diplomacy and with assistance.
Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you. Maybe you could take that
also for the record in terms of what kind of partnerships and
how are they taking our recycling, are we working together on
using those recycled products to make new products, and how
that is going to work. I would appreciate it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Thank you.
Is it 7 countries and 10 rivers, is that right, 70 percent
of the stuff comes out of? Seems to me we ought to focus on
that too.
Senator Udall has joined the subcommittee. You are welcome.
I appreciate all of your leadership on this topic and if you'd
like to ask questions or join us, you're more than welcome to.
Senator Udall. Well, thank you, Chairman Graham and Senator
Leahy, you're Ranking, for allowing me to be here today and
participate. I really appreciate it and have enjoyed some of
the comments you have made here today in terms of the joining.
I may bring those up in asking a question, but I think, Mr.
Chairman, in terms of joining when it happens at all the other
countries in the world join and then they make rules and we're
not a part of it, then we got problems, and I think you and
I've talked about that before and I think the thrust of what
you're saying is very important for the administration to hear.
Thank you for that comment.
And although I'm not a member of this subcommittee, I've
devoted a great deal of attention to the issue of plastic
pollution, appreciate both of you being here today, and I
introduced comprehensive legislation on this topic in February,
appreciate Senator Leahy's support. He mentioned today he was
on my bill as a co-sponsor and look forward to the day when we
can get the Chairman aboard, as well.
Across the United States and around the world, we're seeing
increasing momentum to aggressively tackle the problem of
plastic pollution. Unfortunately, I've been very disappointed
by the lack of U.S. leadership.
Despite what has been said here today, it's very clear to
me that the U.S. participation in all international processes
to develop regulations on plastic production and impose limits
on plastic waste exports have been counter to the efforts of
the broader international community.
In May of last year, 187 countries took a major step to
limit the flow of plastic waste to poor countries under the
Basel Convention and more than 80 countries have expressed
support for a new global agreement to address the full lifetime
cycle of plastics.
In both cases, the U.S. has not only failed to be a leader
but instead is actually working against progress on tackling
this pollution.
The administration's efforts have tilted more towards
development and trade agreements supporting investments in
petrochemical production in various countries. This is totally
at odds with the global policy solution to prevent plastic
pollution, not to mention the climate change part of this.
The U.S. solution to the plastic pollution crisis cannot be
let's just create more plastic. That's what we're doing. With
nearly 400 million tons of plastic produced globally each year
and failed policies to reclaim and recycle that plastic, we're
creating suffocating amounts of plastic that are harming our
environment, our health, and our budgets.
We've been sold a bill of goods that recycling alone is the
answer but less than 9 percent of plastic has ever been
recycled and a great deal of our recycled plastic in the United
States is shipped overseas to burden poor and developing
countries where there are clear struggles to effectively manage
this volume of waste.
So limiting the production of the products in the first
place would be the simplest policy for everyone involved.
So, Ambassador Moore, I'd like to ask you, is the U.S.
participating in any efforts to prevent other countries from
adopting bans or regulations on single-use plastic products?
Mr. Moore. Senator Udall, thank you for your question, and
thank you for your leadership on this issue. I know that's part
of a family tradition looking after the interests of the United
States.
In terms of discussing this, as I said in response to
Senator Shaheen, there are conversations, including in the U.N.
Environmental Program at the U.N. Environmental Assembly,
looking at the issue of what's produced and how it's handled.
In terms of a variety of steps, it's not just about
recycling. We like that and are very proud of the innovative
ideas of American business. There are other types of packaging
and other things that can be done. So it's not just about
increasing plastic waste.
I am not aware of any fundamental approach to block
international consensus on this issue. We look after our
national interests and our economic interests and we do have
great faith in what American business can do to help address
the problem. That includes producers and that includes
recyclers.
Beyond that, I've been in the position for only a few
months and in the midst of the pandemic. I have not been part
of any effort like that, but if I have your permission,
Senator, perhaps it would be better if I take the question and
give you a more comprehensive response for the record.
Senator Udall. Thank you. Well, and I would just note for
the record that India did offer a resolution with regard to
single-use plastics and the United States said they weren't
going to do that and as many of us know, all over the country,
Mr. Chairman, cities are engaging in ordinances and bans on
single-use plastics. So some people see that as a solution. We
need to explore that and we need to be part of it.
I see my time's out, but I really appreciate, like I said,
the Chairman's comments in terms of joining.
The other comment I would make, the 10 rivers we're talking
about, a great deal of that plastic we have shipped over there
to developing countries and then it gets into those rivers and
so I don't know the exact percentages. We'll try to get those
for you, but that's the crux of the problem. We can't just say,
oh, it's those 10 rivers.
In fact, we're shipping it over there and they're not
effectively recycling it and so it gets into the rivers and
gets into the ocean.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Thank you.
Senator Udall. Great to be part of your subcommittee today.
Senator Graham. Thank you. Well, to our witnesses, you've
been very helpful, appreciate your leadership. I think I have a
lot of confidence in your abilities here.
So is it right that no Administration's joined the Basel
Convention since 1989, is that right?
Mr. Moore. That's correct, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. So back to Senator Udall's point, we've got
to find something we can join here. I want a global fund to be
created like we've done for AIDS and malaria and other things
to deal with plastics that we can control, but I really want us
to look at the World Bank program to see if we can make some
contributions there. We're going to leave the hearing open to
Friday at 2 p.m. for additional questions.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS
[The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but
were submitted to the witnesses for response subsequent to the
hearing.]
Questions Submitted to Hon. Michelle Bekkering
Questions Submitted by Senator Patrick J. Leahy
Question. It is estimated that of the 400 million metric tons of
plastic produced each year, close to 40 percent is for packaging, such
as beverage bottles and other containers and plastic films. And as we
know, much of that waste ends up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. In
fact, the top 10 items collected on beaches around the world are
single-use plastics.
So I ask both of you, how are our policies and programs addressing
the specific issue of single-use plastics, and if we continue doing
only what we are currently doing to address it, what difference can we
expect to make in the next 3, 5, and 10 years?
Assuming we want to play a leading role in the global effort to
substantially reduce ocean plastic pollution within 10 years, we
clearly need to do a lot more than what we are doing. What would you
recommend?
Answer. USAID's approach to addressing ocean plastic pollution is
holistic and includes single-use plastics. Efforts to reduce waste from
single-use plastics, either through alternative product delivery models
or behavior change, will be more effective when paired with efforts to
improve solid waste management collection and treatment and creating
new end markets for post-consumer recycled content.
An example of this approach is USAID-supported work in the
Philippines (Negros Island) where a local NGO worked to increase
commitment from mayors, build the capacity of the local governments
through solid waste management plans, and mentor entrepreneurs to
develop Zero Waste convenience stores. In the Philippines, the urban
poor often purchase small amounts of everyday items, like shampoo, in
single-serve plastic packets because they cannot afford to buy larger
amounts. Over 160 million of these single-use plastic packets are
sold--and discarded--every day in the Philippines. In the Zero Waste
convenience stores established with USAID support, people can buy
small, affordable quantities of these items in reusable containers.
Similarly, a local NGO supported by USAID in Sri Lanka (Negombo and
Katunayake) collaborated with solid waste management officials to
empower women in the waste management industry, connected public and
private recyclers with sources of, and markets for, recycled plastics
to improve collection efficiency, and partnered with supermarkets to
reduce plastic carrier bag use. Single-use plastics, particularly
carrier bags, comprise a significant portion of solid waste in Sri
Lanka. A total of 14 supermarkets participated in a program to educate
customers about not using single-use plastic bags, including holding
``no plastic bag hours,'' leading to an average 30 percent reduction in
bag usage across participating stores.
Over the next 3 years, USAID will capture and take to scale lessons
learned from the Municipal Waste Recycling Program (2016-2021), such as
those described above. Through the Municipal Waste Recycling Program,
USAID has helped cities and communities in Asia reduce plastic waste
through more efficient and incentivized recycling as well as through
behavior change and innovative business models, such as the Zero Waste
stores. Collectively, the 30 grants USAID made to local organizations
in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka have already resulted
in more than 3,000 metric tons of plastics being collected and
recycled. By 2023, USAID expects more than 9,000 metric tons will be
kept from leaking into the environment, with at least 900 metric tons
due to reduction at source.
Over the next 5 years, USAID's new Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program
(2019-2024), will build capacity and commitment for the 3Rs (reduce,
reuse, recycle) in partner cities to help aggregate an additional
25,000 metric tons of recyclables. This is an essential step in
creating viable recycling markets. USAID will also track the amount of
investment mobilized and the number of innovations supported to
strengthen the 3Rs and improve solid waste management. Through Clean
Cities, Blue Ocean, USAID aims to mobilize $100 million in new
investment over the life of the project and support 35 innovations.
Over the next 10 years, through a blended finance partnership
signed with Circulate Capital in 2019, USAID will leverage $106 million
in private sector capital, which has already been secured, to invest in
the types of facilities that are needed to provide high quality post-
consumer recycled content from single-use plastics. By expanding
recycling capacity and providing a reliable supply of recycled content
in key Asian countries, these facilities stimulate the collection of
single-use plastics and create demand for plastic that would otherwise
end up as waste. The first investment deal from Circulate Capital is to
a women-owned recycling business in Indonesia specializing in recycling
PET bottles into rPET flakes that can then be used in the development
of new items.
With additional funding, USAID will expand its footprint through
bilateral programming in key countries of Asia and other regions to
substantially reduce ocean plastic pollution. We will work alongside
partner countries to build capacity and engage the private sector to
implement the 3Rs, ensuring that government policies and investments
translate to long-term behavior change and systems that are effective,
financially self-sustaining, and fit to the local context.
The first of these bilateral programs will be in Indonesia and will
utilize fiscal year 2020 funding. Indonesia is the second-largest
contributor to ocean plastic pollution, largely because it collects
only about half of municipal solid waste and most is not properly
disposed of in sanitary landfills. Despite these significant
challenges, USAID believes that progress can be made in partnership
with the Government of Indonesia. The Government of Indonesia has set
ambitious goals to manage 100 percent of solid waste (which will
include a 20 percent reduction at source in urban areas and a 30
percent reduction at source throughout the country) and reduce the
country's contribution to ocean plastics by 70 percent by the year
2025. To date, targets to achieve these goals have not been fully met
due to under-investment and lax enforcement of relevant laws and
regulations. Through Clean Cities, Blue Ocean, and a new bilateral
program, USAID will support the Government of Indonesia as it works
towards its ambitious goals.
Question. There's much more we should be doing in our own country
to improve our infrastructure, reduce our reliance on plastics, and
encourage innovation in waste management and recycling. But no country
can tackle ocean plastic pollution alone. International cooperation is
essential.
Ms. Bekkering, how does USAID collaborate with other countries and
multilateral organizations to implement waste recycling and ocean
plastic pollution activities? What progress can you point to?
Answer. Collaboration with other countries is key to USAID's
approach to tackling ocean plastics pollution and ensures that systemic
improvement is sustained. One of USAID's strengths is its long-standing
relationships with national and local governments that allows it to
bring together stakeholders at all levels, strengthening coordination
horizontally across partners representing different areas of expertise
and interests, as well as strengthening coordination vertically to
ensure that cities are supported by national policies and regional and
global initiatives. USAID began its efforts to address ocean plastic
pollution by supporting 30 locally-led projects in four out of the top
five contributing countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and
Vietnam. Starting with this initial set of target countries has allowed
us to achieve meaningful results and develop best practices for further
expansion in these countries and elsewhere around the world. It has
also enabled us to impact national-level policy conversations to
influence solid waste management and ocean plastic pollution even
further.
For example, a USAID grantee in Vietnam developed a model to
strengthen recycling for two districts in the city of Da Nang that has
been adopted more broadly by city authorities and created an
opportunity for higher-level policy influence. Due to its proven track
record of helping Da Nang achieve results, the grantee was asked by the
national government in December 2018 to design a national-level
consultative workshop that informed the development of the country's
National Action Plan on Marine Plastic Debris Management. The
organization continued to provide input into the development of this
plan, which was issued in late 2019 and includes efforts to scale good
practices in plastic waste collection, separation, transportation, and
treatment in coastal and marine areas; representing a significant step
for Vietnam. In the Philippines, the national government has recently
reached out to USAID directly for input on its national plan, which
similarly was informed by USAID's ongoing work in the country.
While USAID's focus is on developing local solutions with a
supporting national policy framework, this is a truly global challenge.
No nation can solve this problem alone, so we need a coordinated global
response. For our part, USAID is already coordinating with other donors
to ensure the sharing of lessons learned and coordinated, impactful
field programming. For example, USAID is actively seeking opportunities
for partnership and coordination with multiple donors and development
partners, including the UK, Australia, Norway, Japan, and the Global
Environment Fund (GEF). With the World Bank and other donors, USAID is
serving on an expert group for the development of the ASEAN Regional
Action Plan on Marine Plastics Debris. Through national, regional, and
international fora, such as the Fisheries and Chemical Working Groups
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and Our Ocean
Conference, USAID has been sharing valuable lessons learned from our
ongoing work. USAID has also shared lessons learned in Asia with other
regions, such as with the Workshop on Marine Debris held under the
Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement
(CAFTA-DR).
Greater international collaboration, particularly coordinated
funding, could be achieved through a global fund to combat ocean
plastic pollution. Such a fund could be housed at USAID, as Section
635(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act already grants USAID the authority
to accept and pool funding from other donors and the private sector; it
also allows USAID direct involvement, oversight, and promotion of these
funds for this important foreign policy matter.
A Global Fund to Combat Ocean Plastic Pollution managed by USAID
could mobilize and invest funds to address plastic pollution by
increasing capacity for solid waste management and the 3Rs (reduce,
reuse, recycle), incentivizing recycling in collaboration with the
private sector (while empowering women and protecting workers), and
promoting innovation and investment in locally appropriate business
models, technologies, and infrastructure. USAID could use this fund to
scale up pollution prevention activities in key source countries and
expand geographically (particularly in regions such as Africa and Latin
America), and also supplement USAID's existing marine biodiversity
programs to integrate interventions for sea-based sources.
By making the United States a convener on the issue, a Fund would
more directly permit the USG to shape the international agenda. When
combined with expanded USAID programming on the ground, the Fund could
raise the profile of USG leadership on the issue both internationally
as well as in individual countries. Moreover, housing the Fund at USAID
would address a major congressional concern regarding the lack of
sufficient oversight of Funds managed by multilateral organizations.
USAID has the added advantage compared to existing multilateral
funds of having the flexibility to work directly with all stakeholders,
including national and municipal governments, the private sector, civil
society, and academia. Other global funding entities, such as the GEF
or the World Bank trust fund ProBlue, can only provide funding through
specific types of partners, such as national governments or U.N.
agencies. The USG also cannot provide direct oversight of these funds.
Creating a new Fund managed by USAID would not prevent coordination
with these multilateral funds. Activities could be coordinated via U.S.
executive directors to those institutions.
USAID is the logical choice of a bilateral donor to manage such a
fund because it is one of the few government donor agencies with an
extensive on-the-ground presence across the developing world. Other
donors like Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, and the UK either do not
have a strong presence on the ground globally. Also, other donor
countries have folded/are folding their aid agencies into their foreign
ministries so they lack the capacity to manage such a fund.
Many countries are potential contributors to a USAID-managed fund,
including those that have made commitments at the G20, such as
Australia, Japan, the Asian Development Bank, and emerging partners
such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Private sector companies and
foundations can also be considered. After initial commitments, USAID
would continue to pool resources from interested donor countries,
foundations and the private sector on a 3-5 year funding cycle to
replenish the fund based on evolving commitments and needs.
Question. The Department of State and USAID have a global
workforce, and billions of dollars are spent annually constructing,
maintaining, and operating U.S. Government facilities around the world
and in our own country.
This question is for both of you. What are the Department of State
and USAID doing to implement waste recycling and substantially reduce
the use of single use plastics in your own construction, maintenance,
and day-to-day operations? What would be a realistic target for
achieving this goal in the near-term, and what would be the costs of
doing so? Can you get us that information?
Answer. USAID's operations management aims to serve as a role model
consistent with our foreign assistance programming approach on single-
use plastics and solid waste management.
For domestic facilities, the construction and maintenance of the
buildings is the responsibility of the General Services Administration
(GSA). For the day-to-day operations aspect of the question, USAID
participates in GSA's National Capital Region Recycling program. GSA
recycling contractors pick up paper, cardboard, cans, glass/plastic
bottles, and printer cartridges from USAID facilities. Not only is the
program environmentally friendly, the revenue generated by the
recycling returns back to the Agency. USAID promotes recycling via
signage in galleys. In addition, USAID installed water bottle filling
stations on every floor of its two main facilities, the Ronald Reagan
Building and the USAID Annex, to discourage single-use plastic water
bottles.
For the majority of USAID's overseas missions, the Department of
State has primary responsibility for the construction and maintenance
of overseas facilities, residential and office. In a few countries,
USAID has primary responsibility for the construction and maintenance
of one or more residential and/or office facilities. In those
facilities, USAID has ensured construction includes for example,
sustainable features such as bottle fillers alongside water fountains
to encourage use of other than single-use plastic bottles. In addition,
the materials we procure, including furniture, are Greenguard
certified, including but not limited to, carpet tiles, acoustical
ceiling tiles, vinyl tile, and workstation panel fabrics and
components. Most, if not all, contain a percentage of recycled plastic
material.
For most USAID missions that are co-located with the Embassy, the
Department of State has primary responsibility for day-to-day
operations of facilities. For a few embassies, USAID, not the
Department of State, has primary responsibility for day-to-day
operations. In these latter cases, USAID follows operational standards
consistent with the Department of State's International Cooperative
Administrative Support Services service delivery platform and policies.
USAID missions in conjunction with the Embassy implement recycling
programs similar to GSA's National Capital Region Recycling program.
These programs vary by post depending on the host countries' waste
programs and local vendor availability.
Beyond facilities, USAID's day-to-day operations include
implementation of hundreds of millions of dollars of development and
humanitarian assistance. USAID has begun piloting a number of efforts
to reduce the disposable products in the provision of these efforts.
For example, in 2018, USAID's Mission in Vietnam began an initiative
requiring partners receiving USAID funds to reduce or eliminate the use
of disposable products in executing their activities. As of March 2020,
USAID's Regional Mission for Asia helped expand this initiative across
Missions in Southeast Asia. While it is too early to make definitive
statements about costs, initial discussions with partners suggest that
these changes could have minimal cost or even perhaps cost savings.
Similarly, USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA)
has joined the United Nations and other global partners in assessing
ways to reduce plastic packaging waste in humanitarian supply chains.
USAID is spearheading a study, ``Sustainability in Humanitarian Supply
Chains: A Preliminary Scoping of Improvements in Packaging Waste
Management'' to assess the full life cycle of waste, drawing lessons
from private sector advances in circular economy approaches. The study
will evaluate short- and long-term gains regarding cost-effectiveness
and efficiency. BHA is also engaging with the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory to investigate solutions to
track, manage, and reduce the environmental impact of humanitarian aid
packaging waste. Areas of research include innovative materials, reuse
or recycling of existing packaging, and alternate distribution
mechanisms. The partnership has identified innovative, cost effective
recycling as a solution that can minimize the impact of packaging waste
and provide benefits to local communities. An initial specification,
leveraging U.S. technology innovations, has been developed for a
portable, solar powered recycling unit. An initial pilot of this
solution is expected to begin in early fiscal year 2021.
Question. Many individuals and corporations cite a 2015 Science
magazine article to argue that the United States is not at fault for
ocean plastic pollution and that the predominance of pollution is the
result of poor waste management in Southeast Asia. The article's
author, however, contends that this is the wrong conclusion, and has
highlighted that the amount of waste generated by one person in the
United States is two to six times greater than the waste generated in
many countries. Much of our waste that has been sorted for recycling
has been sent to poor countries that cannot handle it.
In response, we are seeing many countries act aggressively to limit
their own production of unnecessary single-use plastic products and to
stop the export of plastic waste. I ask both of you, what are we doing
to support those efforts?
Answer. Low- and middle-income countries are experiencing rapid
population and economic growth along with urbanization, which is
driving up levels of waste generated. As lifestyles change, the
composition of waste is changing to include increasing amounts of
harder-to-recycle plastics. USAID supports its partner countries by
working with them to improve their ability to manage the growing
volumes of waste, and to implement the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle)
without limiting economic growth or creating unintended consequences
for the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Helping these
countries to build capacity to collect, process, and recycle any waste,
whether imported or generated domestically, creates economic
opportunities while also reducing pollution.
With better waste systems and incentives for implementing the 3Rs
effectively, cities in low- and middle-income countries can get ahead
of the challenges created by these demographic and consumption changes.
In addition to providing grants to local organizations, USAID's program
Clean Cities, Blue Ocean is providing specialized technical expertise
to enable private sector investment in infrastructure, increased
government transparency, and improved local enforcement of regulations.
USAID also supports a policy framework built on consensus that creates
the right incentives for the 3Rs. To do this, USAID helps governments
and other key stakeholders build an evidence base to increase local
understanding of the current contextual situation as well as to develop
appropriate policy instruments to address the local context. In Sri
Lanka, USAID's grant to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has supported
policy dialogue among government, private sector, and environmental
groups on post-consumer plastic management that was informed by
research on plastic-based products, packaging use, and their value
chain.
Helping countries capitalize on approaches that are old or new,
that work in their national and cultural context is key. This is a
complex challenge that cannot be solved through top-down measures alone
or separate from economic realities. Instead of prescribing a specific
path, USAID works with countries to find consensus-based solutions that
are impactful and sustainable.
CONCLUSION OF HEARINGS
Senator Graham. I just want to thank you both. I look
forward to working with you on this.
We're going to provide you more resources. You just tell us
where you think it will be best utilized.
Thank you.
Mr. Moore. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much, and thank you
for the attention.
Senator Graham. Thank you.
Ms. Bekkering. Thank you.
Senator Graham. The hearing is adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 3:21 p.m., Tuesday, July 21, the hearings
were concluded, and the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene
subject to the call of the Chair.]