John,

There are just a few hours left in our September Drive, and we haven't quite hit our goal.

That could be bad news in our work to move our country beyond plastic, and counter the plastic industry's misinformation.

You see, we don't take a penny from corporations. Your grassroots support is what fuels our campaigns to push back on deceptive tactics from the plastics industry, ban more of the worst single-use plastics, and convince the world's biggest companies to stop using plastic packaging.

Over the years, supporters like you have powered victory after victory. A third of Americans now live in a state with a ban on at least one of the worst kinds of single-use plastic.1

But we still have so much more work to do, and we can't do it alone.

Are you with us? Donate now.

Thank you for making our work possible,

Faye Park
President

1. "Reducing plastic waste in the states," PIRG, July 26, 2022

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: U.S. PIRG <[email protected]>
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Subject: The plastic industry's dirty secret
To: John xxxxxx <[email protected]>

John,

We can't recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis.

For decades, plastics producers have hidden their knowledge that recycling was ineffective -- just to boost sales and ward off regulations.1

At PIRG, we're working to expose the truth about plastic and hold the industry accountable for the harm its products cause -- but we can't do it alone.

This fall, we've set a goal of raising $15,000 to fuel our campaigns to confront plastic pollution. Will you donate to our September Drive before the September 23 deadline to help make a future beyond plastic possible?

Many of us take the labels on plastic packaging at their word when we see the familiar "chasing arrows" recycling symbol -- but there's no law stopping manufacturers from using this symbol on non-recyclable materials. As a result, a massive pile of products labeled as "recyclable" are never actually recycled at all.2

If recycling alone won't work, what can we do to confront the plastic pollution crisis?

PIRG has a plan:

• We're working to ban the worst forms of single-use plastic, like polystyrene foam and single-use bags. As a direct result of PIRG's advocacy and the support of people like you, a third of Americans now live in a state with a ban on one or more types of single-use plastic. Donate now >>

• We're urging retailers to get wasteful plastic off their shelves. And we're making progress: We delivered more than 138,000 petition signatures to Amazon urging the company to eliminate plastic in U.S. shipments, and the company has now almost completely phased out its plastic air pillows. Donate now >>

• We're holding plastic producers responsible for the waste their products become. Five states have passed laws that require producers of packaging to pay fees to fund collection and disposal of their products, and we're working hard to get even more laws like this passed nationwide. Donate now >>

• We're calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to require "recyclable" labels to tell the truth. The FTC has the power to prohibit the use of the word "recyclable," the chasing arrows recycling symbol, or other statements that imply a product is recyclable unless the item is actually going to be recycled. Donate now >>

By cutting off plastic pollution at its source, banning the worst forms of plastic, and requiring plastic producers to take responsibility for the plastic waste they create, we can make real progress toward a future beyond plastic.

John, we're counting on you to be a part of this important work. Will you help confront the plastic pollution crisis by donating to our September Drive today?

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Joseph Winters, "Petrochemical companies have known for 40 years that plastics recycling wouldn't work," Grist, February 20, 2024.
2. Saabira Chaudhuri, "Your 'widely recyclable' plastic yogurt tub is rarely recycled," The Wall Street Journal, August 17, 2022.

Your donation will power our dedicated staff of organizers, policy experts and attorneys who drive all of our campaigns in the public interest, from banning toxic pesticides and moving us beyond plastic, to saving our antibiotics and being your consumer watchdog, to protecting our environment and our democracy. None of our work would be possible without the support of people just like you.

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