The urgency of the plastic pollution crisis is undoubted—plastic pollution is everywhere, piling up in our oceans, lakes, and rivers, from the top of Mount Everest to the depths of the Mariana Trench, even embedded in our own blood and tissues. Nevertheless, production continues, with more plastic made in the last twenty years than ever before.
However, there ARE solutions to plastic pollution. In recognition of Plastic Free July, AMBR members teamed up with Ocean Conservancy to discuss authentic solutions to actually address the plastic pollution crisis, not just greenwashing or marketing solutions touted by the packaging and petrochemical industries.
Featured speakers include Dr. Anja Brandon, Associate Director of U.S. Plastic Policy for Ocean Conservancy; Martin Bourque, Executive Director of the Ecology Center (Berkeley) and Cofounder of AMBR, and Miriam Holsinger, Co-President of Eureka Recycling and AMBR steering committee member, with moderation by Lucy Mullany, Director of Policy & Advocacy for Eureka Recycling and AMBR.
We reviewed the state of mechanical recycling in the US, including opportunities and challenges, watched AMBR’s short film Chasing Arrows: The Truth About Recycling, heard about chemical recycling and its shortfalls, and reviewed authentic policy solutions for systems change to move closer to zero waste.
View the recording of the webinar:
View the slide deck here.
You can also view and share AMBR’s film “Chasing Arrows: The Truth About Recycling” directly:
If you’d like to host a watch party of the film, please view AMBR’s toolkit.
Webinar Q&As
During the webinar, many attendees asked excellent questions! We answered most during the session, but some we answered afterwards. Here’s the full set of Q&As.
Get Involved
Learn more about Ocean Conservancy and their fight for trash free seas. Visit their action page to urge elected officials to act now on plastic pollution.
To learn more about AMBR’s work, visit our website and browse our resource library.
In addition to AMBR’s federal and global work on zero waste policy, AMBR’s cofounding organizations work in their respective states to improve recycling and reduce plastic pollution. You can follow them on social media, sign up for their newsletters, or visit their websites to learn more about opportunities to support their work.
Eco-Cycle – Boulder, CO
Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIN
Ecology Center – Berkeley, CA
Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Eureka Recycling – Minneapolis, MN
Website | Facebook | Instagram| LinkedIN
Recycle Ann Arbor – Ann Arbor, MI
Newsletter | Website | Facebook | LinkedIN
Additional Resources
- AMBR’s report “The False Promise of Plastics-to-Fuel Technologies
- AMBR’s summary “The US Needs EPR for Plastics and Packaging
- AMBR’s infographic Why Are So Few Plastics Recyclable?
- Eco-Cycle’s Quick Guide to Plastics