On the recordNovember 15, 2019
Today is National Recycling Day. As a Nation and world, we are accumulating single-use plastics at an alarming rate. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans. This is why recycling is critical, and we need more education for all of us about how best to recycle. We also need help from industry to either avoid plastic altogether or package their goods with the most desirable and recyclable types of plastic. As consumers, though, our standard should be ``Made from 100 percent recycled materials'' and not ``Made from recyclable materials.'' There is a vast difference. We all know the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. But we can't just recycle. That is the third choice. Our top priorities should be reducing and reusing. So what can we do? We can start by making good personal choices, and here is an easy one: Don't use plastic utensils. More than 100 million plastic utensils are used and thrown away into landfills every day across the country. They can't be recycled. We can think twice about whether we really need our water to come in plastic bottles. There are far better choices. And for Democrats, the party that commits to careful environmental stewardship, we absolutely, positively must lead by example. Madam Speaker, in the coming months I will be reaching out to my colleagues to take action on this issue. Happy recycling day. ____________________
