Learn about plastic pollution

What's the issue?

Plastic can’t be made without oil, a non-renewable resource.

• The extraction of oil is an energy-intensive process that involves burning fossil fuels, which ultimately furthers the effects of climate change.

• The estimated amount of carbon released from plastic manufacturing is anywhere between 100 to 500 million tons of carbon per year; that’s equivalent to between 19 and 92 million vehicles’ emissions.

Plastic is non-biodegradable.

• Plastic is a durable material, made to live forever, that cannot biodegrade. Instead, it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming “microplastic.” Scientists in a variety of fields are examining the effects of microplastics on both wildlife populations and human communities.

• Americans discard over 30 million tons of plastic each year, but only about 8% of it gets recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or becomes litter.

Impacts on wildlife and marine habitats

• Birds and marine animals may ingest plastic when they mistake it for food or they may become entangled in it (fishing lines, multi-pack rings, etc.). Plastic accounts for roughly 1 billion bird deaths each year, and around two-thirds of fish populations test positive for plastics.

• The vast majority (80%) of marine debris is land-based and 80-90% is plastic. Rainwater carries litter to storm drains (or directly to creeks, streams and rivers) which then flow into our oceans. Approximately 9 million tons of plastics pollutes the ocean each year.

Impacts on human communities

• As plastic debris floats around the ocean, it soaks up harmful chemicals, such as DDT, that have leached into the ocean. In turn, when fish eat these plastics they become contaminated themselves. Humans are then susceptible to ingesting these chemicals, which have been linked to numerous health issues, when we eat wild-caught seafood.

What can you do to help?

Reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle

• Many people think recycling is the best way to reduce waste, but the most impactful way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place.

• Reducing consumption prevents pollution by reducing the need to harvest new materials, thereby saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. Reducing consumption also reduces the amount of waste that will need to be recycled or sent to landfills and the resources required to transport and process that waste.

  • • Unless medically necessary, refuse plastic straws when dining out or eating fast food. The United States produces 500 million straws every day, most of which end up in aquatic habitats as pollution.

    • Pledge to go plastic-free by investing in a reusable water bottle. Every hour, Americans use about 3 million water bottles, and less than 30% are recycled afterward. Reusable water bottles not only prevent pollution; they also help you save money. Drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day using tap water costs less than $1 per year (in the U.S.); the same amount of bottled water could cost over $1,000 each year.

    • Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store or ask for paper instead of plastic bags. About 1 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world. Only about 1% of those are recycled.

    • Try to avoid plastic packaging by looking for products in glass, aluminum, metal, or paper packaging. While plastic can only be recycled once or twice, paper can be recycled five to seven times and metal, aluminum and glass can all be recycled an infinite number of times. Furthermore, paper biodegrades in a short span of two to six weeks. If brands you love only use plastic packaging, consider writing them a letter or calling them to encourage them to transition to more environmentally-friendly packaging.

    • There are many other ways to reduce waste. These include purchasing items second-hand, shopping at local farmers markets, buying in bulk, and bringing your own containers to the store for items like fresh produce, dry goods, and items from the deli.

• When it’s not possible to avoid waste, reuse or repurpose items as much as possible. This could mean reusing a container for storage or donating unwanted items to a second-hand store instead of throwing them away.

• Recycle items that can no longer be reused. Properly recycling plastic and toxic materials conserves resources and prevents them from polluting natural environments and our water supply.

  • • There are tens of thousands of landfills across the globe. Buried beneath them, plastic leachate full of toxic chemicals can seep into ground water and flow downstream into lakes and rivers.

    • Recycling conserves precious natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. It also prevents pollution and reduces energy use by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials.

    • Recycling also creates jobs and revenue. In 2014, the recycling industry in the United States employed more than 1.1 million people, generated over $236 billion in gross annual revenues, and saved municipal budgets over $3 billion in avoided landfill disposal fees.

Recommended resources for additional information

• 5 Gyres Institute

• Eco-Cycle

• IUCN Issue Brief: Marine Plastics

• Live Thrive Atlanta

• Plastic Pollution Coalition

Updated May 2020