John,

It's the plastic industry's dirty secret: Plastic simply isn't designed to be recycled.

For decades, the plastic industry's strategy has been to promote recycling as a viable solution to the overproduction of wasteful plastic.[1] But the truth is that as little as 5% of the plastic we throw out ever gets recycled at all.[2]

The result? Piles of plastic pollution that could dwarf skyscrapers. The amount of plastic waste incinerated or sent to landfills in the U.S. each year is heavier than 150 Empire State Buildings.[3]

We're strengthening our campaigns to hold companies accountable and reduce plastic consumption. Major companies need to do their part to solve the pollution crisis they helped to create.

To make it happen, we've set a goal of raising $100,000 by midnight on Dec. 31. Donate today to fuel our work in the year to come.
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At PIRG, we're executing a plan to urge some of the world's largest retailers to cut back on their plastic use -- and we're winning.

Take Amazon for example. PIRG spearheaded an investigation into whether Amazon's packaging was actually as recyclable as the company claimed.

Investigators put small tracking devices in pieces of Amazon packaging, dropped them off at official recycling drop-off locations, and tracked where they ended up.

We found no evidence that Amazon packaging is being widely recycled.[4] The investigation shined a spotlight on Amazon's recycling failures, and helped fuel a grassroots campaign to ask the company to do better.

Along with our national network and allies, we delivered more than 138,000 petition signatures to Amazon urging the company to eliminate plastic in U.S. shipments. And now? The company has now almost completely phased out its plastic air pillows.[5]

With decades of experience, PIRG's team of researchers and advocates knows how to get results. But it's supporters like you who give us the resources to make it all possible, John.

Donate to our End of Year Drive today to be a part of our next big victory against plastic pollution.
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Our campaign to convince Amazon to cut plastic is just a fraction of our work to confront the pollution crisis.

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.

Will you help keep the momentum going with a donation before the Dec. 31 deadline?
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Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Lisa Song, "When Is "Recyclable" Not Really Recyclable? When the Plastics Industry Gets to Define What the Word Means," ProPublica, August 15, 2024.
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2. Ben Tracy, "Critics call out plastics industry over "fraud of plastic recycling"," CBS News, June 28, 2024.
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3. Ben Tracy, "Critics call out plastics industry over "fraud of plastic recycling"," CBS News, June 28, 2024.
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4. "Truth in recycling," U.S. PIRG Education Fund, March 19, 2024.
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5. "Amazon announces its largest reduction in plastic packaging in North America to date," Amazon, June 20, 2024.
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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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U.S. PIRG
Main Office: 1543 Wazee St., Suite 460, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 801-0582
Federal Advocacy Office: 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 4th Fl., Washington, DC 20003, (202) 546-9707
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