By Mara Elana Burstein

The widespread use of plastic products in the modern economy has created a global crisis. Plastic does not break down and only a tiny percentage of it is recycled. Plastic pollution is everywhere, and increasingly poses grave risks to human health and the environment. To help mitigate this issue, California passed the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, 2022) — the most ambitious domestic policy effort to address the plastic crisis to date. Among other features, it establishes an investment fund, managed by state agencies, to address plastic-related impacts within communities.

While the plastic burden is widespread, lower-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately exposed. To guide SB 54 investments in a data-driven and equitable way LCI researchers developed the environmental justice-centered Three-Part Framework for Identifying Plastic-Burdened Communities to facilitate a data-driven approach for targeting these investments equitably. 

“Plastic pollution exposes everyone to health risks, but some communities have greater exposure than others and also may have fewer resources with which to mitigate their plastics burden,” explained Veronica Herrera, LCI scholar and co-author of the report.

The framework characterizes overall exposure risk by focusing on the three general types: 

1. Site-based: impacts related to industrial sites and waste facilities, 
2. Dietary: inadvertent consumption of plastic or related contaminants via food and drink, and
3. Consumer goods: dermal contact with products, services, and packaging containing or using plastic. 

In addition to creating the framework, the authors developed a new digital mapping tool that pinpoints California’s plastic processing and disposal facilities, along with their localized impact zones and cumulative exposure risks.

“Our comprehensive analysis of where in California plastic waste-related exposure risk is most acute found that the three exposure sources are linked to negative health outcomes, which are concentrated most intensely in low-income communities and communities of color,” said Daniel Coffee, LCI project manager and co-author of the report.

Decision-makers should use the plastic-burdened communities framework — even with rudimentary measures to gauge exposure risks — to ensure that all heavily impacted areas are included in mitigation investment efforts. This tool will help identify geographic hotspots for focusing mitigation efforts and investments to serve the communities most impacted by the plastic pollution crisis with efficacy and transparency. Future research is called for to expand the framework’s scope and accuracy, improving its utility to California agencies over time. 

The report, policy brief, and interactive map were supported by Resources Legacy Fund.

To learn more about LCI’s research, visit our plastic policy research web page.