Waste & recycling

sea turtle chasing plastic bag
Willyam Bradberry | Shutterstock.com

We have to stop trashing our planet. Every day, we extract natural resources to produce goods that are used — often just for a few minutes — before they’re thrown into landfills, incinerators or the natural environment.

To protect wildlife and their habitat, conserve natural resources and address climate change, Environment America is working to reduce consumption, ensure products are built to last, and shift policies toward a system where all materials are reused, recycled or composted in a continuous cycle.

Priorities

Beyond plastic

To spare birds, fish and other wildlife from the harm caused by plastic pollution, we’re raising our voices for a world with less single-use plastic products.

Right to repair

Repairing our stuff could be a big part of eliminating electronic waste — the fastest growing waste stream in the world.

Recycling & compost

Nearly all of America’s trash could be composted and recycled. But we’ve got a lot of work to do to get there.