Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution

Plastics, mostly single-use, proliferate our daily existence, environment, and ecosystems. Tiny microplastic particles are found in the air we breathe and the water we drink, exposing us to a multitude of toxic substances. And the production of these products are polluting our communities, often Black, Brown, and low-income. We must act to regulate plastics at all levels—from production, to transportation, to use, to disposal. The era of single-use plastics in our everyday lives is one that needs to be relegated to the past—and quickly.


Video provided by LonelyWhale's #HydrateLike campaign.

Sierra Club Zero Waste Policy

Our current methods of extracting natural resources, turning them into products and packaging used for ever shorter periods of time, and then discarding them is not sustainable! This "use & throw" culture contributes significantly to a wide variety of negative impacts such as forest and open space destruction, ocean pollution, litter, water and air pollution, and climate change.
Read the Policy

Support the Break Free from Plastic Act

Our government can act to help solve this crisis by passing the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, which was first introduced in 2021. This ambitious bill will tackle single-use plastic waste and production. Learn more about the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act and how you can support it below!
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June 21, 2024

BOSTON, MA. --On Thursday, an overwhelming bipartisan majority of the Massachusetts Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 2830, the Plastics Reduction Act. In a 38-2 vote, Senators agreed to pass the bill guaranteed to protect the environment…

April 10, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO — The fight to hold Coca-Cola accountable for misleading consumers will continue thanks to a district court judge's ruling on Monday. Judge Donato denied Coca-Cola’s attempt to dismiss a Sierra Club lawsuit, meaning that the suit…

8 de febrero de 2023

Un tren que arrastraba cinco vagones repletos de millones de libras de cloruro de vinilo se descarriló cerca de la frontera entre Ohio y Pennsylvania, obligando a miles de residentes a evacuar.

February 7, 2023

​​​​​​​EAST PALESTINE, OH -- Late Friday evening, a Norfolk Southern Railway train carrying five cars containing millions of pounds of vinyl chloride -- a potent carcinogen used to make PVC pipes, upholstery, plastic kitchenware, and more --…

June 16, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the Sierra Club and its law firm Gutride Safier LLP jointly announced the filing of lawsuits against the Coca-Cola Company (bottler of Dasani), BlueTriton Brands (bottler of Arrowhead, Poland Spring, Deer Park, and Ozarka),…

1000

years it takes for plastic to biodegrade

2M

plastic bags per minute used each year

1M

seabirds killed by plastic each year

500M

plastic straws used every day in the US