Plastic: A Polluting Material
We only use most plastic products once. But plastic never truly “goes away.” At its core, plastic is dirty, polluting fossil fuels. From production to disposal, it pollutes our air, water, land, and bodies. It’s time to tackle plastic pollution in New England for good.
CLF in Action
We can’t recycle our way out of our problem with plastic pollution. Big Plastic wants you to think it’s your fault that recycling doesn’t work. It isn’t. Corporate giants actually make money propping up our failing recycling system, while pumping more single-use, unrecyclable products into our communities.
CLF is dedicated to reforming the region’s recycling system. We’re starting with the most effective system we already have for recycling single-use beverage containers: bottle bills. We’re working across the region to pass new or modernized Bottle Bills. When implemented in tandem with producer responsibility laws, we can slash our region’s plastic pollution.
Bottle Bills work by placing a fee on single-use bottles and cans, which consumers get back when they return the empty containers. Producers (like Coke, Pepsi, and Nestlé) pay the fees required to fund the system, so these programs are free to taxpayers.
What’s at Stake
Plastic pollution clogs our rivers, kills ocean life, worsens the climate crisis, and harms our communities. Because plastic is made from dirty fossil fuels, it poisons our planet and health – from production to disposal. What’s more, our communities bear the cost of the toxic facilities, like landfills and incinerators, that process the constant stream of plastic waste.
Plastic isn’t just harming our health and environment. It’s also hurting our wallets. Because waste and recycling systems are broken, our cities and towns are being asked to pay exorbitant disposal and recycling fees. That cost is passed on to you as a taxpayer.
We know there’s a better way. We have an opportunity to create a much better recycling system – one where those responsible for plastic pollution make less plastic and pay for the dirty material they create.
CLF is addressing our plastic problem today for a cleaner, more sustainable tomorrow.
