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End plastic pollution this Earth Day
On Sunday, April 22nd, you can participate in one of the largest environmental movements on the planet—Earth Day. With one billion participants from 195 countries, Earth Day isn’t an event you’ll want to miss out on, trust us. Plus, participating is easy (more on that later).
This year, Earth Day is campaigning to End Plastic Pollution. Here at Recycle Coach, we’re especially passionate about this issue. Plastic pollution is among the biggest problems facing us today. Unfortunately, if we don’t work together to develop a solution, it only promises to get bigger—which is where Earth Day comes in.
If we continue producing plastic at our current rate, by 2050 there’ll be over 34 billion tons of it. For context, that’s over 100 times more than the collective weight of every single human being in existence. Here’s another frightening figure to consider: right now, we only recycle about 9% of our plastic. If we don’t become better recyclers by 2050, Earth will be buried beneath the stuff. Also, plastic pollution doesn’t just hurt the planet and its wildlife, it harms us, too.
Thankfully, you can help end plastic pollution. We all can, and there’s no better time to start than Earth Day. Here are some simple things to get you started.
Sign the End Plastic Pollution Petition
This one’s easy. So easy, in fact, that you can do it right now ?. As a part of their campaign, Earth Day’s petitioning world leaders, national governments, and local legislators to ban single-use plastics, which are the worst culprits when it comes to plastic pollution. For reference, these are items like: shopping bags, water bottles, even writing utensils. Basically, any plastic item that you’d use once, then dispose of.
If you decide to sign the petition, why not also put a household ban on disposable plastics? Nowadays, there are plenty of sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic products. Aluminum water bottles, Tupperware, reusable shopping bags immediately come to mind—but there are plenty more. And the best part: by using reusable plastics, you can help end plastic pollution all year round.
To add more weight to Earth Day’s voice, you can sign the petition here.
Participate in a local event
If you’re looking to enjoy the outdoors this Sunday, there might be an Earth Day event happening near you. Contact Earth Day to find out.
Alternatively, you can always reconnect with the environment by enjoying the day outdoors or taking a wilderness outing. And if you spot plastic litter—or any litter, for that matter—you can even help end plastic pollution by making sure it’s properly disposed of.
Become a Smarter Sorter
Smart sorting is all about putting the right waste item in the right bin. Unfortunately, too many of us get this wrong. We understand, though. Recycling can be complicated. Rules for what’s recyclable in one community are different in another. That’s why Recycle Coach is here—to make it easier for you to recycle.
Feel free to download our app for Apple or Android and we can show you what goes where. Properly recycling is a small thing, sure—but it makes a huge difference, especially when it’s done all year. And it’s an effective way to end plastic pollution.