From busy city streets to remote coastlines, waste is piling up faster than we can manage. Each year, the world produces more than two billion tons of household waste, a number expected to nearly double by 2050. The impacts of waste are not shared equally: marginalized communities are often located near landfills, incinerators, and toxic dumping sites, while high-income countries export waste to nations with fewer resources, deepening global environmental injustice.
❝
There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.“
– Annie Leonard, Environmental Activist and Strategist
Plastics are among the most harmful forms of waste. Despite decades of recycling efforts, only about nine percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. The rest is buried, burned, or broken down into microplastics that infiltrate food, water, air, and even human bloodstreams. These particles persist for centuries, releasing toxins, disrupting ecosystems, and threatening human health.
I challenge you to reduce your trash. The easiest way is to eliminate single use plastic–No plastic bags, No plastic cups, utensils, straws or pouches. Good Luck!
Believe it or not, plastic particles called microplastics have been found in countless food items. Marine animals routinely mistake tiny microplastics for food. When we eat fish, shrimp or shellfish, we may eat the plastic these animals once consumed.1Plastic isn’t only in seafood. Microplastics are contaminating soil, and plants may absorb them through their root systems. This means that plastic may be finding its way into carrots, lettuce, potatoes and other common vegetables that we eat.2
Microplastics are tiny. So tiny, in fact, that they can easily bypass standard water filtration systems. Studies have detected microplastics in tap water samples from cities all over the world.3If you think bottled water is plastic-free, think again. A single liter of bottled water may contain an average of 240,000 detectable plastic fragments, largely shedding from the bottle itself and the capping process.4
Because microplastics are lightweight, wind easily sweeps up plastic fibers from car tires, degraded trash and even polyester clothing. These airborne plastics can travel thousands of miles, settling in city streets, parks and everywhere in between. And when they’re airborne, people unknowingly inhale them.5We already have plenty of plastic. But they keep making more and more.If current trends hold, 1.2 billion tons of plastic could be manufactured each year by 2050. To put this number into perspective, the cumulative total would be enough to completely cover the U.S. in a layer of plastic that’s ankle-deep.6At PIRG, we refuse to let this become our future.We’re urging grocers to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging and petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to enact meaningful limits on microplastics in drinking water. And by raising public awareness of plastic’s problems, we’re working to generate the groundswell of support that’s necessary for meaningful change.But we can’t do it without you. Our work relies on the dedication of members like you who refuse to let the plastics industry dictate the health of our families and the future of our planet.Thank you for standing with us,Faye Park
Choose a new reusable plastic-free swap each day or stick with one that works for you. Whether it’s refilling your coffee cup, reusing containers for takeaway food, or shopping packaging-free options—every swap counts.
