The Plastic Pollution Crisis
The world is awash in toxic and polluting
single-use plastics
made from hazardous chemicals
and climate-damaging fossil fuels.
380 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year.
91% of plastic is NOT recycled.
We need to turn off the plastic tap
and make less plastic!
skip to TAKE ACTION ->
single-use plastics
made from hazardous chemicals
and climate-damaging fossil fuels.
380 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year.
91% of plastic is NOT recycled.
We need to turn off the plastic tap
and make less plastic!
skip to TAKE ACTION ->
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Plastic pollution is fueling the climate crisis 
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Microplastics are everywhere, in our water, our air, our soil, our food and our bodies! We are literally eating, drinking and breathing in plastic. Scientists recently found microplastics embedded deep in human lungs, in human blood, and even in human placenta. 1o reasons to take plastic free, climate action
What is a Single-Use Plastic and Why is it a Problem?
Each year, we produce over 350 million metric tons of plastic; more than 40% of this is single-use plastic--plastic packaging and foodware that is used for less than 20 minutes. Because plastic is not recyclable, most discarded plastic is sent to landfills or "leaks" into the natural environment. Plastic does not biodegrade. Instead it breaks or fragments into small particles called microplastics and then into smaller particles called nanoplastics. Because plastic is made from fossil fuels and thousands of persistent toxic chemicals, they transfer thousands of migrating chemicals into our food during use. After disposal and fragmentation, plastic particles carry and distribute these toxic chemicals to every inch of the globe. Scientists have found micro and nanoplastics in our digestive tract, deep in our lung tissue, in the placenta, and circulating in our blood. Nanoplastics deliver thousands of toxic chemicals directly to the organs, tissues, and cells in our bodies. We now face the public health crisis of our time. School cafeterias serve over 40 million meals a day and make a large contribution to the plastic waste stream. School cafeterias are a great place to begin reducing single-use plastics, while also protecting the health of our students--society's most vulnerable members. Plastic Free Lunch Day is a first step that results in useful photos and data but, most importantly, it shows everyone that food-dispensing and eating does not require plastic! |
Plastic threatens human life
posing risks at every stage of its life cycle,
including production, use, and disposal.
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PLASTIC IS A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL How plastic is making us fat & sick Plastic threatens human health in two ways: (1) As a toxic food contact material that transfers chemicals into food, and (2) as toxic plastic particle pollution that enters our bodies. Toxic Food Contact Material. Plastic packaging and foodware (bottles, plates, cups, utensils) are so common, we assume they are safe. But thousands of (mostly unknown and untested) toxic chemicals that make up plastic migrate (move) from plastics into our food and drink. Read more -> Plastic contains more than 10,000 chemicals and over 2400 are considered “substances of concern.” There are so many chemicals that scientists now group them into “Intentionally Added Substances” (IAS) and “Non Intentionally Added Substances” (NIAS). This Water Bottle Study found several hundred different chemical substances in tap water stored in reusable plastic bottles and 90 likely NIAS in the water.
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A recent study found microplastics
in human placenta - on both the maternal and fetal sides. 
Read the full article:The Guardian : Dec. 22, 2021, Damien Carrington
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Most Plastic Products Contain Potentially
Toxic Chemicals, Study Reveals From yogurt containers to bath mats, stuff you use every day may come with hidden risks. Consumer Reports, By Kevin Loria, Oct, 2019 
Is plastic a threat to your health?
Harvard Health, Dec 2019 Among the more troubling chemicals are phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). Both are endocrine disrupters, which are substances that interfere with the actions of human hormones, says Dr. Hauser. |
Plastic production and disposal
are linked to environmental justice
Newark, NJ students and parents protest their neighboring incinerator, the Covanta Essex facility (November 2018), Much of the garbage burned in Newark comes from Manhattan homes and schools and much of that waste is plastic. One in four kids in Newark has asthma. Emissions released contain particles that can travel hundreds of miles. Some of these particles have been known to cause cancer. Learn more-> (Photo: Karen Yi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
The petrochemical industry and the pollution it creates
disproportionately harms people of color and low-income communities. Every year, the United States alone burns or buries in landfills 32 million tons of plastic, negatively impacting the health, wealth, and well-being of frontline and fenceline communities. Take Action -> |
Our oceans have become landfills.
15 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, 2/3 coming from land.
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A 2020 study suggests that ocean microplastic pollution may now outnumber zooplankton.
Microplastics are not just polluting are oceans.
Toxic plastics includes 144 chemicals or chemical groups known to be hazardous to human health.
Microplastic particles are so pervasive in our food and water that
the average person may be ingesting as much as
a credit card’s worth of plastic (5g) every week.
Take Action ->
Microplastic particles are so pervasive in our food and water that
the average person may be ingesting as much as
a credit card’s worth of plastic (5g) every week.
Take Action ->
Microplastics are in our soils -
in alarming amounts
Some estimates put soil contamination at four- 23 times higher than in oceans,
Our waste management systems are broken
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The U.S. produces the most plastic waste per capita of any country, and exports much of this waste to the Global South. An astounding 91% of plastic is never recycled. Just because we put something in the blue bin, does not mean that is going to be recycled. It will likely be landfilled or go into the waste stream. Take Action -> |
Host a screening of our award winning movie,
MICROPLASTIC MADNESS ->
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