Cutting Unnecessary Plastics Act (CUP)

End Single-Use Plastics for Good

Plastic forks, Styrofoam cups, straws — these disposable items did not exist when America was founded. For centuries, we used durable, reusable materials like metal, wood, and cloth. With the invention of cheap plastics, convenience took priority over sustainability. Now we face the fallout: landfills overflowing, oceans polluted, microplastics entering our food and even our bodies.

We don’t need plastic straws or forks to function as a society. What we need is a plan to phase them out and replace them with safe, reusable, and compostable alternatives. This bill eliminates single-use plastics within 6 months and transitions retail packaging to compostable materials within 2 years — protecting our health, environment, and future generations.

How It Works

  1. Ban single-use plastic items like straws, utensils, bags, and foam containers within 6 months of passage.
  2. Require retail packaging to shift to compostable, non-toxic materials within 2 years.
  3. EPA oversight ensures smooth rollout, medical exemptions, and enforcement through fines.

Key Terms

Single-use plastics
Disposable plastic items designed to be used once and discarded, such as straws, cutlery, and carryout bags.
Retail packaging
Plastic wrapping, clamshells, and containers used to package products for consumer sale.
Compostable
Materials that safely break down into non-toxic, natural components in composting conditions.

Full Text

Cutting Unnecessary Plastics Act (CUP)

Section 1: Plastic Ban Phase One — Single-Use Consumer Items

Effective 6 months after passage, the manufacture, import, sale, and distribution of plastic utensils, plastic straws, plastic carryout bags, and Styrofoam cups, bowls, and takeout containers are prohibited in the United States. Exemptions are granted for medical and emergency use as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Section 2: Plastic Ban Phase Two — Retail & Food Packaging

Effective 2 years after passage, a mandatory reduction in non-essential plastic retail packaging begins. This includes clamshell packaging, plastic-wrapped produce, and single-use drink bottles (with exemptions for medical nutrition and emergency rations). All retail packaging must be non-toxic and free from plastics such as BPA, polystyrene, and petroleum-based polymers.

Section 3: Enforcement & Penalties

The EPA shall oversee enforcement of this Act. Violations are subject to fines up to $10,000 per violation for corporations and up to $1,000 per violation for small businesses.

Section 4: Effective Date

This Act becomes law upon passage. Section 1 enforcement begins 6 months after passage. Section 2 rollout begins 2 years after passage.

Disclaimer

I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t finalized legislative language — but I’m also not waiting around for someone else to write what’s clearly overdue. We need more single issue, readable bills.

These are serious drafts from someone running for Congress who believes voters deserve more than slogans and vague promises. And yes, once elected, I’ll work with the Office of Legislative Counsel, the Congressional Research Service, and policy experts to refine every section into fully enforceable law. That’s what they’re there for.

But make no mistake — the intent, urgency, and direction are already here.