Friend,
Every year, the global plastic crisis gets worse -- and the United States is a big part of it. In fact, the U.S. is one of the top sources of coastal plastic pollution in the world, according to a new study.[1]
As we get ready for a new year and face fresh challenges to moving our country beyond plastic, we're gearing up to make sure we can keep our work to slash plastic waste going strong into 2021. Can we count on your support before midnight on Dec. 31?
Make your donation before midnight Dec. 31 to help give our campaigns to slash plastic waste the support they need to win.
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A new study has found that the U.S. could rank as high as third in the world for plastic pollution -- in part because the United States often ships plastic waste to countries that aren't equipped to deal with such volumes.[2]
In 2019 alone, the U.S. shipped 88,000 shipping containers of plastic to countries that struggle with waste management.[3] And our plastic pollution problem is expected to get much worse: By 2040, we could see the volume of plastic waste entering our oceans triple to nearly 32 million tons per year -- unless we take action.[4]
Make your end-of-year donation before midnight on Dec. 31 to help U.S. PIRG get rid of the worst single-use plastics littering our communities and polluting our environment.
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Our country's plastic waste problem stems from multiple sources. That's why U.S. PIRG and our partners across the country are working to address plastic waste on all levels. Thanks to the support of people like you, we're:
* Advocating for bans on the worst single-use plastics. The best way to reduce our plastic waste is to stop making items designed to be thrown away after just one use. In recent years, our national network has advocated in states across the country for bans on the worst single-use plastics. And this year, New Jersey adopted the nation's toughest law on single-use plastics, Maryland saw the country's first statewide ban on foam takeout containers take effect, and Washington joined the growing list of states that have banned plastic shopping bags.[5,6,7]
* Calling on Whole Foods to clean up its act. You might not like using single-use plastics, but they're almost impossible to avoid -- especially at the grocery store. This fall, our network launched a nationwide campaign calling on Whole Foods to phase out single-use plastic packaging from its operations after it received an "F" on its plastic waste policies in a 2020 report by As You Sow.[8] We know that if Whole Foods makes a commitment to getting rid of unnecessary plastic packaging, it will set the stage for more grocery chains to follow suit.
* Setting the bar for federal action on plastic. Advocates with U.S. PIRG worked closely with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal to introduce the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020. This sweeping legislation combines our best policies for reducing plastic waste, including bans on certain single-use plastics, shifting more financial responsibility for recycling single-use plastic items onto the companies that make them, and would establish a national bottle deposit program.[9] Now -- joined by supporters from across the country -- we're calling on Congress to pass this visionary legislation.
But none of this progress would have been possible without the support of people like you.
Help us make even more progress in 2021. Make your end-of-year gift by 11:59 PM on Dec. 31 to help us move our country beyond plastic.
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Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. Justine Calma, "The US is one of the world's biggest sources of plastic pollution," The Verge, October 30, 2020.
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2. Adele Peters, "The U.S. is one of the world's worst ocean plastic polluters," Fast Company, October 30, 2020.
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3. Jan Dell, "No 'Away': Why is the U.S. Still Offshoring Plastic Waste Around the World?," Plastic Pollution Coalition, April 7, 2020.
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4. Joe Brock, "Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040: study," Reuters, July 23, 2020.
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5. "Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Banning Single-Use Paper and Plastic Bags in New Jersey," State of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, November 4, 2020.
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6. Associated Press, "Maryland's foam container ban law goes into effect today," WUSA9, October 1, 2020.
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7. "Gov. Inslee signs Washington plastic bag ban into law," KREM2, March 25, 2020.
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8. "Waste and Opportunity 2020: Searching for Corporate Leadership," As You Sow, last accessed November 9, 2020.
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9. "H.R.5845 - Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020," Congress.gov, last accessed November 11, 2020.
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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 Roundup 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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