Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution

Plastics, mostly single-use, proliferate our daily existence, environment, and ecosystems. Tiny microplastic particles are found in the air we breathe and the water we drink, exposing us to a multitude of toxic substances. And the production of these products are polluting our communities, often Black, Brown, and low-income. We must act to regulate plastics at all levels—from production, to transportation, to use, to disposal. The era of single-use plastics in our everyday lives is one that needs to be relegated to the past—and quickly.


Video provided by LonelyWhale's #HydrateLike campaign.

Sierra Club Zero Waste Policy

Our current methods of extracting natural resources, turning them into products and packaging used for ever shorter periods of time, and then discarding them is not sustainable! This "use & throw" culture contributes significantly to a wide variety of negative impacts such as forest and open space destruction, ocean pollution, litter, water and air pollution, and climate change.
Read the Policy

Support the Break Free from Plastic Act

Our government can act to help solve this crisis by passing the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, which was first introduced in 2021. This ambitious bill will tackle single-use plastic waste and production. Learn more about the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act and how you can support it below!
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November 13, 2018

(Kalama, WA) November 13, 2018—Today, a report written by the company proposing the world’s largest fracked-gas-to-methanol refinery was released by the Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County, WA. The proposed fossil fuel refinery is controversial…

July 27, 2018

BOSTON--The Massachusetts House and Senate Conference Committee finalized an Environmental Bond Bill last night that did not include language banning single use plastic bags. Such language had been included in the Senate version of the bond bill.

March 12, 2018

Today, Ohio Governor John Kasich announced a new partner for a proposed ethane cracker plant in Belmont County. Ethane crackers are known to release toxic air pollution including cancer-causing benzene and other pollutants. Building out…

November 29, 2017

Boston, MA—Boston is on its way to becoming the largest city on the East Coast to pass plastic bag regulations today. Similar to that of Cambridge’s, which went into effect in March of 2016, Boston’s comprehensive law requires recycled content in…

1000

years it takes for plastic to biodegrade

2M

plastic bags per minute used each year

1M

seabirds killed by plastic each year

500M

plastic straws used every day in the US