{"id":335749,"date":"2025-12-09T01:39:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T01:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/the-problem-with-plastic-former-epa-official-on-how-to-save-the-planet-before-its-too-late\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T01:39:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T01:39:38","slug":"the-problem-with-plastic-former-epa-official-on-how-to-save-the-planet-before-its-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Problem with Plastic\u201d: Former EPA Official on How to Save the Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.<\/p>\n

\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> This is Democracy Now!<\/em>, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report<\/em>. I\u2019m Amy Goodman.<\/p>\n

The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late<\/em>, that\u2019s the title of a new book by Judith Enck, former regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, now president of Beyond Plastics, joining us to talk about pollution in the environment, our bodies, as well, and moving beyond plastics. Her book\u2019s release comes as the United Nations\u2019 efforts to negotiate a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution have slowed, and plastics were low on the agenda at the COP30 U.N. climate summit in Brazil. Next week, the seventh session of the U.N. Environment Assembly is set to begin in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme \u201cAdvancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judith Enck, welcome back to Democracy Now!<\/em> It\u2019s great to have you with us.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Thanks.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> So, the title is The Problem with Plastic<\/em>. Explain what it is.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> So many problems. It should have been plural. Plastics is a climate change issue, because it\u2019s made from fossil fuels and 16,000 different chemicals. It\u2019s a health issue, because plastics, little pieces of microplastics, have been found in many parts of our bodies. This is an environmental justice issue, because plastics are produced in primarily low-income communities of color, places like Cancer Alley in Louisiana. It\u2019s also a consumer deception issue, because the industry has been telling us we can recycle plastic, which is not true.<\/p>\n

And finally, the issue that really drew me to this is we\u2019re turning our ocean into a watery landfill, with so much plastic getting into the ocean. It\u2019s about two giant garbage trucks every minute is dumped into the ocean. And, you know, the ocean is 71% of the world\u2019s surface and a major protein source for many of us around the world.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> So, what happens then to the plastic dumped in the ocean?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> It gets exposed to sunlight. Then the wave action is almost like a paper cutter. So, one plastic water bottle, for instance, becomes hundreds or thousands of little pieces of microplastic, which are eaten by fish, marine life, and it is really an ocean emergency.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Chemicals found in plastics have been associated with cancer, nervous system damage, hormone disruption, fertility issues. Explain the issues.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Sixteen thousand different chemicals are used to make plastic, including PFAS<\/span> chemicals, the forever chemicals. And every plastic product has a different chemical combination, so it\u2019s hard to say precisely this plastic food wrapper, for instance, is linked to this health outcome. But we know that many of these chemicals, as you say, cause cancer. They\u2019re reproductive toxins. And my big concern is the plastic packaging that touches our food and our beverage, especially if it\u2019s ever heated.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> OK. So, that goes to the issue of microwave. You say don\u2019t microwave in plastic. But how many plastic containers say \u201cmicrowave safe\u201d?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Yeah, it shouldn\u2019t. You should not put any food containers in the microwave, because the chemicals very likely are leaching into your food. You can kind of taste it, right? And definitely don\u2019t use black plastic, because that\u2019s from recycled electronic waste. So, this is so \u2014<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Wait a second.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Yeah.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Just the color, the plastic, the color of it, means it\u2019s recycled electronic waste?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Very likely. If you have like a black plastic takeout container, when you get home, take it right out of the container and put it on your plate. I really try to avoid black plastic. There have been good studies on this. But any kind of plastic, you want to avoid heating.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> What about putting it in your dishwasher?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Not a great idea, particularly if you\u2019re using it for food.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Because?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Because the chemicals will leach, because it\u2019s exposed to heat.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Can you talk about microplastics?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Microplastics are five millimeters or less, teeny, tiny pieces of plastic. Scientists have found microplastics in our blood, our kidneys, our lungs. They\u2019ve been found in heart arteries, and if it\u2019s attached to plaque, you have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, premature death. Unfortunately, it\u2019s crossed the blood-brain barrier and has been linked to Alzheimer\u2019s and other neurological diseases recently. We need these studies repeated. We also know that microplastics have been found in the human placenta and breast milk, so our babies are being born pre-polluted. And when I talked to legislators that are male, I mentioned that it\u2019s also been found in testicles, and they start to pay attention.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> You know, we just came from the U.N. climate summit, the climate summit in the Amazon, in Brazil. There was a lot of activism there, but very little around plastics.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Yeah, you know, plastics traditionally were made from chemicals in oil, now from chemicals and waste product of fracking, ethane. So plastics is very much a climate issue. We did a report looking at production, use and disposal of plastics. The greenhouse gas emissions are the equivalent of about 116 coal-fired power plants.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a separate U.N. process going on with plastics, but, unfortunately, because of the positions of the United States and Saudi Arabia, that process did not reach a conclusion, but it is ongoing.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> So, if you can talk about who\u2019s lobbying for plastics, and what you think needs to be done? Because your book has the word Saving Ourselves and the Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late<\/em>.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Yeah, we chose those words purposefully. So, this is a political science issue, not a science issue. So, we\u2019re up against Exxon, Shell, Amazon, Dow Chemical, the American Chemistry Council. You show up even at a city council meeting, and these guys from Washington come flying in with their expensive suits, saying why we shouldn\u2019t, for instance, ban plastic bags. In Albany, we\u2019re working on a comprehensive packaging reduction law. We were outnumbered by corporate lobbyists four to one, still came very close to passing a packaging reduction bill. So, when you\u2019re working on plastics, you\u2019re going up against the chemical, fossil fuel, plastics industry \u2014\u00a0and consumer brands.<\/p>\n

But progress is being made. All across the country, people are paying attention to the issue. And I want to emphasize that about half of all plastics have been manufactured worldwide in the last 18 years. So this is relatively new. I actually remember 18 years ago. So, I am hopeful that if people work not just to reduce plastic in their own lives, but get into the political arena, work on new laws, new regulations to reduce plastic, it\u2019s in our own self-interest. This is not an ideological issue. In fact, when there\u2019s polling on plastic, there\u2019s bipartisan support to reduce plastic production. We just need to get more people in the arena saying we don\u2019t want babies, for instance, born with microplastics while they\u2019re in the placenta and then consuming breast milk.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Judith Enck, you were a regional administrator of the EPA<\/span>. Talk about Trump\u2019s attacks on the EPA<\/span> and regulations. ProPublica has a new piece<\/a> out today, \u201cUnder Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA<\/span> Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> This is the worst EPA<\/span> has ever been. They are no longer protecting the environment. They are no longer protecting public health. You have people from the chemical industry at EPA<\/span> making policy. Lee Zeldin, the head of the EPA<\/span>, is the worst EPA<\/span> administrator in the history of the agency. It\u2019s going to take decades to rebuild. Places like Cancer Alley, where plastic is produced in Texas, people are being poisoned every day, and the EPA<\/span> is doing nothing to protect health. It\u2019s really a national embarrassment and something where the states need to step in, and we haven\u2019t seen that yet.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> The California attorney general has sued ExxonMobil for its recycling claims?<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Yeah, Attorney General Rob Bonta sued ExxonMobil for not telling the truth about plastics recycling in September of 2024. The plastics industry tells us, \u201cDon\u2019t worry about all the plastics you\u2019re using. Just put it in the recycling bin.\u201d But plastics recycling has been an abysmal failure. People should keep recycling paper, metal, glass, cardboard. But the plastic recycling rate is only 5 to 6% nationwide, because plastics are made from so many different chemicals, different colors, different plastic polymers, that they cannot be recycled together, unlike other material.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Talk about the policies more around \u2014\u00a0that make a difference, from single-use plastic bans \u2014\u00a0and explain what that is \u2014\u00a0bottle bills, extended producer responsibility laws to reuse and refill systems.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> So, our book, The Problem with Plastic<\/em>, has model bills that people can work on at the local or state level. We are alert enough not to be trying this at the national level. All we\u2019re doing in Washington is playing whack-a-mole, trying to beat back bad things. But communities can ban plastic bags. You can have policies called Skip the Stuff, so when you get takeout food, you don\u2019t automatically get the plastic utensils and the straws; you have to ask for it.<\/p>\n

The bottle bill is the first bill I ever worked on, as a college student with NYPIRG<\/span>. It puts a refundable deposit on soda and beer and water bottles. You bring it back. And that\u2019s the only recycling success story with plastics, is the plastic bottles do get recycled.<\/p>\n

But the major policy reform we need is called extended producer responsibility, where companies that produce all this plastic need to take some responsibility. We have a model bill that takes it further and requires, for instance, that all single-use packaging be reduced by 50% over 10 years, and that the most toxic chemicals used in plastics, like PFAS<\/span> chemicals, lead, cadmium, formaldehyde, not be allowed to be used in packaging.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> I want to end with where you started: your dedication. You write, \u201cBy design, low-income people and communities of color bear the burden of plastics. The destructive web of plastics gathers in their neighborhoods, rivers, air, and bodies. We dedicate this book to those living in the shadow of plastics facilities in Louisiana, Texas, Appalachia, and elsewhere in the sincere belief that they should live in a world beyond plastics \u2014\u00a0and that such a world is within our reach.\u201d Final 20 seconds.<\/p>\n

JUDITH<\/span> ENCK<\/span>:<\/strong> Thank you, Amy. I mean, the environmental justice issues are quite severe. People are getting sick living near these plastic production facilities. Johns Hopkins did a study saying the cancer rate in Cancer Alley is seven times the national average. So, even if you don\u2019t live in those communities, by reducing plastic and getting laws to reduce plastic, we\u2019re helping our sisters and brothers in Cancer Alley in Texas and Appalachia.<\/p>\n

AMY<\/span> GOODMAN<\/span>:<\/strong> Judith Enck, I want to thank you for being with us, former EPA<\/span> regional administrator, president of Beyond Plastics. Her new book is The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And that does it for our show. I\u2019m Amy Goodman. This is another edition of Democracy Now!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I\u2019m Amy Goodman. 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Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I\u2019m Amy Goodman. The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late, that\u2019s the title of a new book by Judith Enck, former […]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2025-12-09T01:39:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEG4_Plastics2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"\u201cThe Problem with Plastic\u201d: Former EPA Official on How to Save the Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late","datePublished":"2025-12-09T01:39:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749"},"wordCount":1971,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEG4_Plastics2.jpg","keywords":["EPA","Late","OFFICIAL","Planet","Plastic","Problem","Save"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=335749","name":"\u201cThe Problem with Plastic\u201d: Former EPA Official on How to Save the Planet Before It\u2019s Too Late - 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