Understand
The plastic problem is not mainly about sorting: it is about how much gets produced. An item made before it even has a buyer often ends up discarded without ever being used. Cutting what gets produced upstream matters more than sorting downstream.
Take action
- Keep a reusable bottle and bag with you, the single gesture that replaces the most disposable items.
- Turn down the straw, lid and disposable cutlery when you order.
- Buy in bulk what you can: same products, without the packaging.
- Repair or give away before replacing, an item kept twice as long is an item made half as often.
- Choose second-hand where you can, especially for things you rarely use.
Guides
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Organizations
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Tools
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Did you know?
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Go further
Plastic accounts for 3.4% of global emissionsWe file plastic under waste. UNEP also measures it as a climate problem.8 min read
About 60% of material made into clothing is plasticWe picture straws and bottles. UNEP measures four sectors, and three pass through no bin at all.7 min read
Most cigarette filters are made of plasticMicroplastics mostly come from things we do not call plastic. UNEP names three sources.7 min read
Myth and reality
"I sort my waste, so my plastic gets recycled."
Sorting helps, but sorting alone does not decide an item's fate: the material, how clean it is, and whether a market exists matter just as much. That is why reduce and reuse come before recycle, in that order.