Dear Friend,

A whopping 91 percent of plastic is never recycled.1

That fact runs counter to what we're taught from an early age -- that by recycling alone, we can solve the problem of plastic pollution.

Recycling is good for the environment and reduces litter -- we can and should keep doing our part there. But unfortunately, we can't just recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. Reducing and reusing our plastics needs to be a much larger part of that equation. Here's why that is.

Why recycling isn't enough

Despite many Americans placing their plastics into recycling bins, fewer than 10 percent of all plastics are recycled. Most plastic products simply aren't designed to be recyclable, and their quality degrades with each re-manufacturing.2

Another reason that recycling isn't working is that many items become contaminated when items are placed in the wrong bin, or when a dirty container is placed among recyclables. Companies often falsely label plastic products as recyclable, which leads to the contamination of otherwise recyclable items. Other times, certain facilities won't be able to process the collected materials.3

How we were led to believe otherwise

As early as the 1970s, oil industry insiders predicted that recycling wouldn't keep single-use plastics out of landfills. But they depicted recycling as feasible in advertisements, and launched feel-good projects, telling the public to recycle plastics. The plastics industry funded sorting machines and recycling centers.4

Each of these efforts promoted the narrative that plastic waste was resolvable through recycling alone. And they succeeded in keeping single-use products on shelves across the country, even as pollution accumulated in landfills and waterways.

Our solutions for moving beyond plastic

We may not be able to recycle our way out of the plastic waste problem. But, fortunately, there are myriad other, more effective solutions for moving beyond plastic. Here are a few of the policies we're advocating for:

• Holding producers accountable. For too long, the cost of cleaning up plastic pollution has fallen on us as consumers and taxpayers. We envision a different system -- one where plastic manufacturers are held responsible for the waste their products become. Shifting the financial burden onto producers of wasteful products would incentivize the creation of more durable, less wasteful products.

• Banning the worst single-use plastics. One of the best ways to reduce the amount of plastic headed toward our landfills and waterways is to ban items such as foam takeout containers and plastic bags. These are items we don't really need, as plenty of reusable alternatives exist.

• Securing the right to repair. Electronic waste represents a large portion of environmental pollution, but companies intentionally set up barriers to repair. The goal of our Right to Repair campaign is to give every consumer and small business access to the parts, tools and service information they need to repair products so we can keep more of our stuff in use and reduce waste.

Our team of organizers, researchers and advocates are making these solutions a reality by leveraging public support, organizing outreach to lawmakers, and raising awareness. We're glad you're with us, Friend.

Thank you for all you do,

Faye Park
President

P.S. All of our advocacy to move our country beyond plastic is made possible by supporters like you. Donate today to help keep this work going strong.

1. Laura Parker, "A Whopping 91 Percent of Plastic Isn't Recycled," National Geographic, July 5, 2019.
2. Laura Sullivan, "How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled," National Public Radio, September 11, 2020.
3. Renee Cho, "Recycling in the U.S. is broken. How do we fix it?" State of the Planet, March 13, 2020.
4. Laura Sullivan, "How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled," National Public Radio, September 11, 2020.

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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