Plastic Pollution

  Why should you care about plastic pollution? 

Plastic pollution affects our health, our waterways, our climate, and our communities. Microplastics have been found in drinking water, food, air, wildlife, and even the human body. Every year, billions of disposable plastic items are used for only minutes but remain in the environment for generations.
The good news: solutions exist, and communities across New Jersey are helping lead the way.

 

The Plastic Problem by the Numbers: 

  • More than 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide every year.
  • About 40% of plastic is designed for single use.
  • Less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled globally.
  • Without meaningful action, plastic waste entering our oceans, rivers, and lakes is projected to nearly triple by 2040 (UN Environment Programme)
  • Managing plastic waste could cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

Education & Outreach Materials:

The Impacts of Plastic Pollution:

Threatens Human Health
Plastic pollution is increasingly recognized as a public health concern. Plastics contain thousands of chemicals, including known carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting substances such as styrene and vinyl chloride. As plastic breaks down, it forms microplastics — tiny particles now found in food, drinking water, air, and even human blood and organs. Scientists have identified microplastics in human blood, lungs, placentas, breast milk, and brain tissue. Exposure to certain plastic-related chemicals has been linked to cardiovascular, reproductive, and neurological harm.
Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue — it is a human health issue.
Accelerates Climate Change
Plastic is made primarily from fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Every stage of its lifecycle — from extraction and manufacturing to transportation and disposal — produces greenhouse gas emissions.
Plastic production is one of the fastest-growing sources of industrial climate pollution. The United States plastics industry’s contribution to climate change is on track to exceed that of coal-fired power by 2030. As plastic breaks down, it can also release methane and other greenhouse gases.
Reducing plastic use is an important strategy for reducing climate pollution.
Harms Wildlife and Ecosystems
Plastic never fully decomposes. Instead, it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics that persist in the environment indefinitely.
Wildlife can ingest plastic or become entangled in plastic debris, leading to injury, starvation, and death. Plastic pollution affects more than 1,200 species worldwide, including birds, fish, turtles, and marine mammals.
Plastic litter also damages ecosystems across New Jersey — from rivers and lakes to beaches, parks, and neighborhoods.
Hurts Environmental Justice
Plastic production facilities, landfills, and incinerators are often located in low-income communities and communities of color. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that every year 150 catastrophic accidents — such as fires or explosions that release toxic chemicals — occur at plastic production facilities located in marginalized communities. Recognition of this issue in New Jersey led to passage of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Law in 2020.
These communities experience higher exposure to pollution and related health risks. Addressing plastic pollution is therefore also an issue of environmental justice and community health.

 

New Jersey is Leading the Nation:

New Jersey has passed three landmark laws to reduce plastic pollution:
  • Plastic Pollution Reduction Act (May 2020) — The strongest plastic pollution reduction law in the country, banning single-use plastic bags, paper bags at large grocery stores, and polystyrene (Styrofoam) foam food containers, and requiring plastic straws to be provided only upon request. By May 2025, the law had eliminated over 24 billion plastic bags and 480 million paper bags from the waste stream. For the first time since 2007, plastic bags were NOT included in Clean Ocean Action’s Beach Sweep Dirty Dozen list as of May 2023.
  • Recycled Content Law (January 2022) — Requires certain packaging and bags sold in the state to contain minimum amounts of post-consumer recycled material, strengthening recycling markets and reducing plastic waste.
  • Skip the Stuff Law (January 2026) — Limits the automatic distribution of single-use utensils and condiments by food service businesses for takeout and delivery. Customers must opt in to receive utensils and condiments.
These policies are already reducing billions of single-use plastics and helping shift businesses and consumers toward reusable alternatives.
Interested in joining the People Over Plastics Coalition? Email beyondplasticsnj@gmail.com for more information.

 

Websites:

Reports and Fact Sheets:

 

Be informed! click here to sign up for the ANJEC newsletter