Tell Congress: Help Fight Plastic Pollution
We’re facing a plastic pollution crisis and we need Congress to hold the corporations that profit from plastic accountable.
Right now, plastic feels unavoidable, which is a serious problem. Plastic harms our air, water, communities, and health at every phase of its polluting life cycle. More than 350 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year. Virtually none of which is recycled. In fact, only 5% of plastic is recycled in the U.S. each year.
Most plastic waste is burned in incinerators where it releases harmful chemicals into the air, buried in landfills where the chemical additives in plastic leach out into the surrounding environment, or littered throughout the environment where it poses a threat to wildlife and ecosystems.
Without strong action at the federal level, the plastic problem is only going to get worse. We are in the midst of a massive plastic production build out. Fossil fuel giants like ExxonMobil and Shell are ramping up the production of plastic. They see plastic as their Plan B. Since 2010, companies have invested more than $200 billion in 333 plastic and petrochemical plants in the U.S. alone. If we don’t change course, greenhouse gas emissions from plastics will soon surpass those from coal.
We need bold action to protect our communities and our climate from plastics, and we can start by redesigning products and packaging.
Take action with us – Urge your elected representatives to address plastic pollution now.