March 18th is Global Recycling Day, a day meant to celebrate the role of recycling in protecting our planet. But let’s be clear: plastic recycling has never lived up to its promises.
For decades, the petrochemical industry has pushed the lie that plastic can be endlessly recycled, keeping us locked in a cycle of overconsumption. But globally, less than 9% of all plastic has been recycled.1 The rest? It’s burned, thrown in landfills, or pollutes our oceans, breaking down into microplastics that infiltrate our food, water, and bodies.
While we’ve been told that tossing plastic into the blue bin was enough, corporations have ramped up plastic production – global plastic waste is set to TRIPLE by 2060.2 Recycling was never the solution; it was the distraction.
The real solution? Cutting plastic production at the source. That’s why we urge you to sign our petition calling on world leaders to commit to a binding and effective Global Plastics Treaty.
The Global Plastics Treaty is a chance for world leaders to put people and the planet above an industry harming us all. Modeled after the successful Montreal Protocol, it can end plastic pollution, protect human health, and create a waste-free future.3 We cannot let governments squander this moment! Action is needed now.
Add your name to the 30,000 others who refuse to accept the plastic industry’s lies. Every signature builds the momentum we need to push world leaders to take real action.
For action,
Footnotes:
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data
2. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2022/06/global-plastic-waste-set-to-almost-triple-by-2060
3. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/montreal-protocol-emerges-as-powerful-climate-treaty
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