Zero Waste

poster saying 'Zero Waste. Please try it'

Mission

Lead the Sierra Club North Star chapter in our efforts to live more sustainably. Educate the community on ways to refuse, reduce, recycle, and compost effectively, and lobby the legislature to reduce waste and minimize the effect on our natural resources.

What We Do

Our work is to learn how we can live more sustainably, share that knowledge, and advocate for greater change.

  • Reduce the use of single-use plastic, packaging, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

  • Partner with the Food Solutions Coalition to reduce food waste, encourage a plant-based diet, and support Fair Trade

  • Host trash pick-ups in our local communities

  • Promote refill and reuse systems

  • Monitor agency/local government actions and programs, submitting comments and lobbying legislators

  • Educate the community and ask for their involvement

Information on our Current Priorities

Petrochemical companies have invested more than $200 billion in a buildout of their industry in the last 10 years in plastic production and this production is set to triple by 2060. This is unsustainable for our health and the environment. Adopting strong Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for product packaging bill is an opportunity to help change that trajectory.

No matter what your views are on recycling plastic, most people in the US believe we should reduce the amount produced, especially single use plastic. Plastics, from extraction and production to disposal, are an environmental justice issue.

Since 35- 40% of plastic is used for packaging, a well-crafted packaging reduction bill could address a significant contributor to the plastic crisis with the added benefit of addressing waste overall. Join the Zero Waste Task Force in supporting a strong bill to reduce plastic waste.

Get Involved

Join us at our monthly meetings!

Date: 1st Tuesday of the month
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.

RSVP and details on the website calendar, meetings always include a video/call-in option. Questions? Contact Lori at lori.olinger@northstar.sierraclub.org or call 612-659-9124.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

2023 MN Legislative Advocacy

Plastic pollution and toxic chemicals, like PFAS, in plastic and other products we use every day threaten our health and the environment. Check out our current campaigns and how you can get involved.

National & Global Advocacy

Global Plastic Treaty: At the United Nations Environment Assembly, 175 countries agreed to adopt a legally binding treaty targeting plastic pollution. The treaty addresses the life cycle of plastic, from extraction through disposal. It’s intended to curb plastic production and is the most important environmental deal since the Paris accord. They’ll spend the next two years negotiating the specifics.

Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021: Introduced in Congress by Sen. Merkley and Rep. Lowenthal, this bill would reduce throwaway plastics, enact producer responsibility, combat false solutions such as incineration, and pause new or expanded plastic production. It’s an important opportunity for Congress to take real action to address the plastic pollution crisis. Contact your representatives.

Resources

Recent Zero Waste Updates

Plastic Pollution: There Is A Solution

February 13, 2023
Lori Olinger Have you ever bought something and then noticed that the pile of packaging that came with it is bigger than the product itself? A lot of that excessive packaging is plastic because it is so cheap to produce. Since 99% of plastic...

Microplastics and Agriculture

September 8, 2022
Steve Ring and Bob Suchanek Water and Wetlands Stewards Walking the Field. Photo Credit - Bob Suchanek Researchers say that more microplastics pollution is getting into farm soil than oceans—and these tiny bits are showing up in our...

True Corporate Responsibility, An Answer to the Plastics Crisis

August 15, 2022
When I joined the Zero Waste Task Force, I was interested in creating less trash and wanted to get better at recycling and composting. I’m still a big fan of recycling and composting, but when it comes to plastic, the more I learn, the more I try to...

Another End of the World is Possible

August 10, 2022
On one side of our planet’s tipping point is life as we know it. On the other, as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres puts it, are “major cities under water; unprecedented heatwaves; terrifying storms; widespread water shortages; the extinction of...