How to reduce plastic waste this Earth Day
Every year, millions of pounds of plastic are wasted. This Earth Day, learn what we all can do to help.
Beyond plastic
America's plastic problem has gotten way out of hand.
Most of us diligently recycle, take reusable bags with us when we shop, and look for new ways to stop using so much single use plastic “stuff”. Our individual actions are necessary, but won’t be enough. The good news is that the momentum to move beyond plastic is growing. More states, communities and businesses are getting rid of plastic bags, foam containers and other plastic “stuff” we can live without.
The Latest on Beyond plastic
Good news on reducing plastic: Companies hear the call for change
Ideas for Earth Day this year
Updates
Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act reintroduced in Congress
Costco makes new commitments to reduce plastic use
PIRG, Environment America and Environmental Action deliver over 82,400 petition signatures calling on Costco to reduce plastic packaging
What You Can Do
Featured Resources
Reducing plastic waste in the states
Trash in America
10 steps Whole Foods can immediately take to reduce single-use plastic
Where is plastic produced?
Did you know?
In 2015, Americans landfilled or incinerated over 50 million tons of compostable waste. That is enough to fill a line of fully-loaded 18-wheelers, stretching from New York City to Los Angeles ten times.
What We're Doing
Increasing compost can quickly and efficiently decrease methane emissions in landfills and restore soil health.
The Latest
Type
How Dunkin’ can help us reduce waste, one refill at a time
There are many times when single-use waste could be avoided, and our morning cup of coffee is one of them.
Four real solutions to the plastic pollution problem
It’ll take convincing corporations to use less plastic in the first place, eliminating the worst single-use plastics, and more.
Our Amazon wishlist: Less plastic shipping waste
We asked Amazon to reduce plastic shipping waste. Now we need them to deliver.
Buy Now!: How to help break the shopping waste cycle
The amount of products created, sold and thrown away is alarming, highlighted by the new Netflix documentary “Buy Now!” Here’s what you can do.
The plastics industry is pushing to burn, pollute and waste more
A plastics industry-backed bill will roll back progress we’ve made to fix our plastic waste problems.