Why is recycling plastic so complicated?
Your questions about the benefits and difficulties of plastic recycling, answered.
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
What happens to fish (and humans) when fish eat plastic?
Are plastics recyclable?
Updates
New rules aim to tackle plastic pellet pollution in the European Union
Waste less, celebrate more: Tips for a zero waste holiday
20,302 public comments submitted in support of banning vinyl chloride
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.
I like that PIRG digs down and finds ways the system has been rigged against our long-term welfare and tries to translate that into legislative and legal action at the state, local and national levels.Nick Bridge, Member
PIRG will keep working until the job’s done
The Latest
Type
Man made “stuff” now outweighs the living world. How did we get here?
There’s something seriously wrong when the weight of all of our “stuff” is greater than that of all life on the planet. But we can do something about it.
Is switching from plastic to paper better for the environment?
Single-use plastic can cause major environmental damage, but paper substitutes also have downsides. What if there was a third way?
Is there plastic in my tea?
Plastic and microplastic just keeps showing up in the bizarrest of places
Does wrapping food in plastic reduce food waste?
We don’t want to throw away food, but we don’t want to produce plastic waste either. What’s the most sustainable storage solution?
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.
Team
Rakov
Susan
Rakov
Managing Director, Frontier Group; Senior Vice President, The Public Interest Network