The most eco-friendly takeout container is the one you bring from home
Help protect the Great Lakes and ditch single-use plastics with these four tips when you eat out.
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.
Maybe you’ve seen the video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose, or the headlines about whales washing ashore with stomachs full of plastic. With so much plastic pollution floating in the ocean, it’s too easy for wildlife to mistake it for food — and too often, they pay the price with their lives. The good news is that more people, communities, states and companies are moving away from the single-use plastics we don’t even need. Because after all, nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute our environment and threaten wildlife for hundreds of years.
The Latest on Beyond plastic
Frequently asked questions about recycling plastics
What is microplastic?
Updates
The REDUCE Act targets the most wasteful plastics
Governor Pritzker signs bill to reduce plastic
Amazon announces the end of its plastic padded shipping bags
Featured Resources
Trash in America
10 steps Whole Foods can immediately take to reduce single-use plastic
Reducing plastic waste in the states
Green schools guide
Did You Know?
Scientists have found plastic fragments in 44% of all seabird species, 43% of all marine mammal species and 100% of sea turtle species.
I am moved to contribute to Environment Illinois because I know that governmental policy is at the root of many of our environmental difficulties. Now that I am a grandparent, the necessity of carving out a more sustainable future becomes ever more urgent.Nick Bridge, Member, Environment Illinois
The necessity of carving out a more sustainable future becomes ever more urgent
I support Environment Illinois because it addresses local and national issues, and it works collaboratively with other organizations. The more voices we have the better. I encourage people who want to help the environment to find an issue they’re passionate about and start there—you can make change.Julie Moller, Member, Environment Illinois
The more voices we have the better
The Latest
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The Countdown to Zero Waste – June Update
Our country has a waste problem. It's time for new solutions and a renewed commitment to move toward zero waste. PIRG and Environment America's advocates, organizers and members are promoting ways to reduce what we consume, reuse what we can, and recycle the rest.
How easy is it to reduce my plastic footprint?
Environment Illinois intern Cate Osborne reflects on the challenges to reducing single-use plastic use as a busy college student.
Oak Park takes steps to reduce plastic pollution
An Illinois municipality is leading by example in phasing out foam foodware.
Earth Month beach cleanup
Staff and volunteers spent a few hours picking up zip ties, plastic packaging, polystyrene foam, bottle caps, straws and other trash to wrap up Earth Month 2023.
Can I recycle that?
Tens of thousands of Americans call on the FTC to prohibit the use of the word "recyclable," the chasing arrows recycling symbol, or other statements that imply a product is recyclable on products that cannot be recycled.