Hi,

Let’s be real: our world is trashed. The average American produces 4.9 pounds of trash per day, which reaches nearly 1,800 pounds of trash per person every year.¹ Far too much of this trash ends up in our natural environment. 

Trash that isn’t disposed of properly carries toxic chemicals that contaminate waterways, harm wildlife, and put human health at risk.² But, together, we can help clean it up. 

EARTHDAY‍.ORG launched The Great Global Cleanup five years ago with the intent to build a waste-free world. We are still working towards this goal, focusing on the detrimental effects of plastic production and waste for Earth Day 2024. 

You can be part of the effort by joining a cleanup this spring. Find one near you on our map, or organize and register your own.

Less than 10% of our plastic is actually recycled, the rest incinerated, sent to landfills, or ending up in other environments.³ For this reason, and the harmful effects plastic production has on human health, EARTHDAY‍.ORG is demanding a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040. In the meantime, we are making an effort to clean up all the plastic waste that hasn’t been disposed of properly. 

We are getting closer to our goals every day because of people like you. Find a cleanup near you, or register your own to make our planet a better place to live. 

See you at the cleanup,

The team at EARTHDAY‍.ORG

Footnotes:

1. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials 

2. Environmental Protection Agency: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/impacts-mismanaged-trash_.html

3. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm