This month has been dubbed Plastic Free July and you may have read articles this year about people trying to live without plastic for a week – and finding out that it’s all but impossible. Single-use plastics are everywhere. Why is that a problem and what can be done about it?
1. What is the problem with plastic?
Plastic pollution is everywhere, from the 36,000-foot-deep Mariana Trench to the peak of Mount Everest. And plastic is not just polluting places, it’s polluting the bodies of animals too, including humans. Earlier this year, 778 pieces of plastic were found in the body of one seabird.
Microplastics are now found throughout the human body and levels are especially concentrated in the brain. Adding to the concern, recent studies have found that accumulation of plastic in the brain is growing in parallel with plastic waste in the environment, while according to the Pew Charitable Trust, if business as usual continues, plastic flows into oceans will triple by 2040.
2. What is the solution?
Reduce! Step one: we need to use WAY less single-use plastic. We can do this by eliminating unnecessary plastic or substituting it for less harmful material like fiber.
Reuse! Reusable packaging can either be made of plastic or other materials. In this case, instead of using the packaging once, it can be used, sanitized, and used again. Think Coca-Cola bottles. In many countries, including parts of Europe and South America, Coca-Cola sells its products in bottles that are used again and again, instead of using a bottle once and throwing it out. Refillable glass bottles can be reused about 50 times!
Recycle! Although most plastics are not widely recycled, recycling also plays a role in reducing plastic use. Companies are reducing their use of virgin plastic by using more recycled plastic.
3. Can’t we just recycle our way out of this problem?
No. While paper and metals are highly recyclable materials that can be recycled over and over again, it is harder to recycle plastic and as a result the recycling rate for plastic is only about 9%. Additionally, recycling plastic actually increases health risks by exposing local communities to toxic air emissions and increasing the toxicity of the plastic itself.
4. So, what can you do?
The good news is that there is a LOT we can do to reduce our use of plastic to protect the planet and our health. Here are some things individuals can do:
- Choose products that have less or no plastic packaging
- Buy “used” rather than “new” when you can – whether it’s thrifting (yes, clothes contain plastic!) or toys for your kids, keeping new material out of the waste stream drives down demand for new plastic.
- Tell the stores you shop at that you want to buy products without plastic packaging or that have reusable or refillable packaging.
- Kids can protect the environment from plastic too!
- Urge your representatives to support effective legislation to cut plastic, including:
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, which make companies pay for the plastic waste they create;
- Bottle bills, which pay customers to bring back bottles and have been shown to increase recycling rates;
- Plastics bag bans, which have also been found to significantly reduce the amount of plastic bags found in the environment.
And if you’re a corporation that uses plastic, you can: reduce, reuse, recycle – in that order!
- First, make sure that you are only using essential plastic packaging.
- Then, offer products in reusable packaging where appropriate.
- Finally, for cases where you cannot eliminate or reuse the packaging, use packaging that is made from recycled plastic material.
What is Green Century doing about plastics?
Green Century engages companies with large plastic footprints to press them to reduce their use of plastic. For example, Green Century convinced hotel chains Marriott, Hilton, and Choice Hotels to reduce their use of single use plastics. Because most plastic ends up in landfills and incinerators, we also engage with companies to make sure their recyclability claims don’t mislead consumers. For example, we got Starbucks to commit to ensure that its plastic recyclability labels are accurate.
Is this problem going to get solved?
It is not all doom and gloom. A UNEP report found that we can reduce global plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 – but collective action is key. 175 nations will meet in Geneva, Switzerland in August 2025 to negotiate a global plastics treaty. Our elected representatives in states across the country can and have passed laws that reduce plastic. Companies can act quickly on this, at the urging of investors, customers, and civil society organizations. We can turn this ship around, but we all need to get rowing in the same direction. Green Century will continue to push companies to cut plastic and build a truly circular economy on the one planet we’ve got.
– Frances Fairhead-Stanova