End Plastics

About The Campaign

Plastic pollution has become one of the world’s most urgent environmental and human health challenges. Microplastics and the toxic chemicals they carry are contaminating our food, water, air, and even our bodies, from plastic-laden farmland to single-use packaging and waste mismanagement worldwide. Ending plastic pollution requires more than reducing waste and changing consumer behavior. It means addressing the systems that continue to produce and promote unnecessary plastics.

That’s why EARTHDAY.ORG’s End Plastics campaign works to stop plastic pollution at its source. Through science-based policy, education, corporate accountability, and support for reusable and plastic-free solutions, we help drive the systemic changes needed to reduce plastic production and protect people and the planet.

Working alongside scientists, policymakers, NGOs, grassroots organizations, educators, businesses, faith communities, youth leaders, and local governments, we are building a global movement to end plastic pollution. Progress depends on transforming the systems that create plastic pollution in the first place.

Plastics and Health

Plastics are fueling a global health crisis. Explore the latest science on how microplastics affect human health, understand the risks, and find out how you can help end plastic pollution.

EARTH DAY 2026

Our Power, Our Planet™

In 2026, we celebrate the 56th anniversary of Earth Day. To mark this milestone, we invite everyone to support Earth Day’s 2026 theme: OUR POWER, OUR PLANET™, a rallying cry for collective action, emphasizing that individuals and communities have the power to protect the environment, strengthen a green economy, and ensure sustainable, resilient communities, regardless of political shifts.

Our Fact Sheets

How Much Disposable Plastic We Use

Single Use Plastics
‎ ‎

Plastics In The Ocean
‎

The Plastic Threat To Human Health

Microplastics And Drinking Water ‎
‎

The Social Media Toolkit
‎

Take Action for a Plastic Free Future

Tell The FDA To Protect Our Pets

Use Reusable Utensils

Join A Cleanup

Support The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act

Sign The Global Plastics Treaty

Always Carry A Reusable Bag

Use Reusable Utensils
‎

Ready to Take Action?

Act on plastic pollution now!

Research on plastic pollution and Reports

EARTHDAY.ORG has curated cutting-edge research exposing plastics’ harmful effects, shattering their perceived innocence and unveiling the grave health risks across four human body systems.

Go deeper to learn how plastics have created a health crisis across the globe, effecting human and all living creatures, with overviews of the latest research on the impacts of micro-plastics on health, and what you can do to protect yourself and advocate for change.

Have you heard about the Great Global Cleanup?

Learn more

Similar Campaigns

Campaign for Communities

Two decades of partnerships to diversify and activate the environmental movement through the voting process.

Take Action

Global Earth Challenge™

Global Earth Challenge will help fulfill our goal of engaging millions of global citizens.

Take Action

End Plastics

End Plastics

About The Campaign

Plastics and Health

EARTH DAY 2026

Our Power, Our Planet™

Our Fact Sheets

Take Action for a Plastic Free Future

Tell The FDA To Protect Our Pets

Use Reusable Utensils

Join A Cleanup

Support The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act

Sign The Global Plastics Treaty

Always Carry A Reusable Bag

Use Reusable Utensils ‎

Ready to Take Action?

Act on plastic pollution now!

Research on plastic pollution and Reports

Similar Campaigns

Campaign for Communities

Global Earth Challenge™

How Much Disposable Plastic We Use

1 - Global plastics has reached an estimated 460 million metric tons in recent years Global plastic packaging industry – statistics & facts | Statista

2 - It is estimated that 75 to 199 million tons of plastic are currently in our oceans Visual Feature | Beat Plastic Pollution

3 - One million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used a year Visual Feature | Beat Plastic Pollution

4 - An estimated 9.7 billion cigarette butts are littered in the U.S. every year, 4 billion of these in waterways. They comprise nearly 20% of all litter. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9265565/

Single-Use Plastics

1 - 8.3 BILLION Metric Tons (9.1 BILLION US Tons) of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. [1]

2 - 79% of plastic that has ever been made still sits in landfills or the natural environment (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated or recycled) [2]

3 - Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S.! That means by using a reusable water bottle, you could save an average of 156 plastic bottles annually. [3]

4 - An estimated 9.7 billion cigarette butts are littered in the U.S. every year, 4 billion of these in waterways. They comprise nearly 20% of all litter. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9265565/

5 - In 2017, packaging production constituted the highest-demanded use for plastic, with 146 million metric tons used. [6]

7 - When plastics end up in landfills, they aren’t harmless. They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. [8]

8 - Researchers in Germany indicate that terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution– estimated at four to 23 times higher, depending on the environment. This could ultimately have adverse health effects on humans and animals. [9]

Plastics in the Ocean

The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife.

The following 5 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and to get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today!

1 - Microplastics in different forms are present in almost all water systems in the world, be they streams, rivers, lakes, or oceans. [1] There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way.[2]

2 - By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight).[3]

4 - Animals are now colonizing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, meaning that they are consuming the plastic waste and also living in previously uninhabited areas. All of these developments disrupt the natural marine ecosystem.[5]

5 - Many animals at the base of the food chain eat microplastics. These animals are then consumed by others than humans eat.[6]

Microplastics in Drinking Water

1 - Each year, the average American ingests more than 70,000 microplastics in their drinking water supply. [1] These plastics originate from multiple sources, but are mostly linked to littering, stormwater runoff, and poor wastewater management in treatment facilities.​

2 - The US passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which banned plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products sold in the United States. [2] Critically, there are no regulatory limits on the levels of microplastics in bottled water.[3]

3 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution on Earth Day 2023, addressing microplastic interventions to proactively prevent fibers from entering drinking water sources. [4]

5 - Microfibers from synthetic fibers have been shown to make up the majority of human material found along the world’s shorelines, accounting for up to as much as 85%. [6]

6 - Microplastics can also come from car tires. Plastic dust is created by the friction between the wheels and the road and is blown into waterways and inhaled by humans. Car tires shed 20 grams of plastic dust every 100 kilometers. [7]

7 - Biologically-active slow sand filters, which are utilized in some water treatment plants for decontamination purposes, have shown a 99.9% efficiency in removing microplastics from drinking water. [8]

8 - According to a 2020 study conducted by PEW Trusts, annual flows of plastic into the ocean could be reduced by 80% by 2040 through the application of existing approaches to reduce our consumption of single-use plastics and the adoption of eco-friendly alternatives. [9]

The Plastic Threat to Human Health

1 - Bisphenol A also known as BPA,[1] used to make billions of plastic beverage containers, dinnerware, protective linings of food cans and toys, is considered an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can both decrease or increase endocrine activity in humans and cause adverse health effects.[2]

2 - BPA is able to be absorbed by fat tissue, and is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. [3] Additionally, the breast milk of most women in the developed world contains dozens of compounds including BPA that have been linked to negative health effects.[4]

3 - Some animal studies have indicated adverse effects of BPA on newborns and fetuses.[5]

4 -Importantly, the label BPA-free in a container of a bottle doesn’t mean a product is free from other harmful chemical compounds that are slightly different but have a different name.[6]

6 - When food is wrapped in plastic containing BPA, phthalates may leak into the food. Any migration is likely to be greater when in contact with fatty foods such as meats and cheeses than with other foods.[9]

Use Reusable Utensils
‎

1 - Each year, the average American ingests more than 70,000 microplastics in their drinking water supply. [1] These plastics originate from multiple sources, but are mostly linked to littering, stormwater runoff, and poor wastewater management in treatment facilities.