How to reduce plastic waste this Earth Day

The average American produces around 1,800 pounds of trash each year — that’s roughly the weight of a Honda Fit. 

Much of that trash is plastic: Enough so that every 16 hours, Americans generate enough plastic waste to overflow the NFL’s largest stadium, with a seating capacity of over 80,000 people. To say this is unsustainable would be an understatement.

That’s why this Earth Day, we’re focusing on reducing plastic waste and pollution.

The facts of plastic waste 

Many types of plastic are technically recyclable. But nearly half of all of the plastic produced is intended to be used just once. After that single use, most of this plastic ends up in landfills, where it degrades into microplastics, which, in turn, eventually enter waterways, the soil and even our bodies. 

Nothing that is used for only a few minutes should pollute our environment for centuries.

Even small actions to reduce plastic waste can make a big difference in your community. This Earth Day, join our members, supporters and fellow citizens in doing something to reduce your plastic waste.

Reducing your plastic footprint can be as simple as using reusable bottles and bags, picking up litter, buying in bulk, or just getting a recycling bin. Every action, no matter how small, helps make our world a little cleaner and more sustainable.

What we can do together

Individual action is a start. But acting together is even better. After all, plastic is everywhere –  from the produce in your shopping cart to the packaging covering your online order. 

If blame is to be assigned, there’s plenty to go around. Nobody forces us as consumers to buy plastic or products that come wrapped in plastic packaging. Then again, consumers don’t design the packaging. We don’t produce the plastic. And we certainly don’t benefit from unsustainable practices.

Unlike consumers, the companies that produce plastic have millions of dollars to spend to point the finger at others. They’ve spent money, for example, to convince the public that recycling is the solution to plastic pollution. If plastic isn’t being recycled, it must be because consumers aren’t trying hard enough.

Yet despite decades of public awareness campaigns promoting recycling, plastic waste continues to rise.

Since the 1950s, humans have created over 7 billion tons of plastic waste. That’s roughly the weight of 1.4 billion African elephants or 1,400 Great Pyramids of Giza. Only 10% of that waste has been recycled. 

The truth is that many plastic products, even ones stamped with the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol, aren’t being recycled, even consumers toss them into the right bin. It’s just too difficult or costly or both.  

Thanks to the support of people like you, PIRG and our members have advocated for changes to public policy and corporate practice to reduce plastic waste and hold companies accountable for it.

Single-use plastic bags, which clog waterways and suffocate marine life, are now banned in 11 states. While seven states have passed bans on expanded polystyrene containers, better known as foam takeout boxes. (Polystyrene can persist in the environment for centuries, leaking toxins and microplastics into water and soil.) 

These are big victories, and they won’t be the last. Cities, counties and states across the nation are already pushing for more action to reduce plastic waste and pollution. 

We’re also seeing action across the globe. In Germany, new policies have significantly cut their waste production. Today, nearly two-thirds of all household waste in the country is recycled, proving that organized efforts and programs really can succeed.

Amazon is taking a stand against plastic

It’s not just the government taking action. Some major corporations have also taken steps to reduce plastic waste. 

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, shipped nearly 5 billion orders to U.S. customers in 2023 alone. Many of these orders were once wrapped in layers of unnecessary single-use plastic. In fact, at one point Amazon produced 700 million pounds of plastic waste each year, enough plastic pillows to encircle the Earth 800 times.

But in response to consumer demand, partly thanks to PIRG campaigns, Amazon pledged to reduce its plastic footprint. The company has since replaced much of its plastic packaging with more sustainable paper alternatives – eliminating the need for over 15 billion plastic packaging pillows.

Costco’s commitment to sustainability 

Amazon is not alone in their efforts, retail giant Costco has announced new approaches and steps to reduce its environmental impact.

In 2021, Costco cut 17 million pounds of plastic from their packaging. It has since implemented a reduction in the volume of its plastic packaging, all while increasing the recyclability of the materials.

Beyond plastic, Costco has begun donating unwanted products and excess food to organizations across the globe, sourcing more sustainable wood and paper products and increasing recycling programs. 

Much more to do

But we can’t let up. As citizens and consumers, we must keep calling on our governments and corporations to do their part. If they respond to our calls to action, we just might see a shift in our economy – from one that’s not only measured by profits and sales, but by sustainability and its impact on the quality of our lives. 

As you commit to reducing your plastic footprint this Earth Day, remember that individual action is important and does make a difference. But when we act together, we can make even bigger strides toward a cleaner future. 

Donate to our Earth Day drive and join our campaigns to reduce plastic waste and pollution on Earth Day and beyond.