John,

How much plastic will Americans throw away today? If it's like every other day, the answer is: enough to fill the largest NFL stadium in the country to the brim.1

Nationally, that amounts to 51 million tons of plastic waste thrown away each year. That's roughly 309 pounds of garbage per person.2

It's a huge problem, but fortunately, we have a big solution to match.

Tell your U.S. House representative to support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act to move our country beyond plastic today.

The fact is, only 5% of plastic waste is ever actually recycled. The other 95% either ends up in landfills or contaminates our food supply, waterways and the air we breathe via microscopic plastic particles.

Recently, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.) reintroduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act.2

If passed, it would:

• Reduce single-use plastic and packaging nationwide.
• Finance new recycling, composting and reusable infrastructure systems.
• Prohibit the dumping of trillions of plastic pellets (also known as "nurdles") into our nation's waterways.3

Tell your U.S. House representative to support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act and help stop the endless flow of plastic.

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act provides comprehensive solutions to our ever-growing plastic waste crisis.

By shifting the cost of recycling and waste management to the corporations that make and sell these wasteful plastic products, the bill would also save states billions of dollars every year.4

Our national network has already helped convince four states to pass producer responsibility laws, which will help cut down on plastic waste across the country.5 Together, we can build on this momentum to pass national legislation that addresses plastic pollution at every stage.

Will you help hold plastic producers responsible for the waste their products become?

Add your name: Tell your U.S. House representative to support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act today.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. "Beyond Plastic," PIRG, last accessed April 8, 2024.
2. "Only 5% of plastic waste generated by US last year was recycled, report says," The Guardian, October 24, 2022.
3. "S.984 - Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021," Congress.gov, March 25, 2021.
4. "Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act reintroduced in Congress," PIRG, October 25, 2023.
5. "Four States Enact Extended Producer Responsibility Laws for Packaging," Packaging World, September 21, 2022.

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