- Get Involved
Protect your
community
Small actions add up — and when communities stand up and take action, real change happens. Our resources can help you lead activities that reduce plastic exposure.
Our Communities
no place for plastic
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Plastics Plants Have Routinely Violated Air Permits
An examination of 50 plastics manufacturing plants found that 84% violated their air permits while receiving billions in tax subsidies and exemptions.
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Artificial Turf Contains Hundreds of Chemicals
Turf fields and playgrounds are often filled with shredded recycled tires, release hazardous chemicals, and shed microplastics – posing risks of cancer, endocrine disruption, and respiratory issues.
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Families Living Near Plants Face High Infant Mortality Rates & Developmental Harms
More than 1/2 of the cases of pre-term births in Louisiana can be linked to toxic air pollution.
Unplastic Your
Community
The health crisis begins long before a plastic product reaches your home. Communities living near petrochemical plants face some of the greatest risks — exposed to constant pollution that increases their risk for cancer, respiratory illness, and reproductive problems. A petrochemical plant can devastate a community. Communities across the country are standing up to polluters — and carving a path to a better future.
What Communities
Can Do
- Educate & Mobilize: Host screenings, workshops, or town halls to share information and promote local action.
- Engage Local Leaders: Meet your local leaders, follow the actions of your local government, and show up to hearings and meetings to urge decisions that phase out harmful plastic pollution.
- Hold Industry Accountable: Sign petitions and pressure companies to disclose chemical use and phase out harmful plastics.
- Engage Schools & Campuses: Implement plastic-free policies, zero-waste programs, and curriculum on chemical health.
- Replace Artificial Turf: Work for a ban or moratorium on artificial turf in your community.
- Advocate for Policy Change: Support bans on single-use plastics, stronger chemical safety standards, and producer responsibility laws.
- Support Frontline Community Organizations: Partner with frontline groups fighting petrochemical expansion and environmental injustice.
Educate Others on the Toxic Truth About Plastic
On April 16th, The Plastic Detox will beecome available for free community events. Hosting a documentary screening at your local school, company office, classroom, place of worship, or community center is a great way to educate others about plastic and public health.
Interested in hosting an educational screening of The Plastic Detox? Find out everything you need to know here!
Mobilize Your
Community
Learn From Local Groups
In the fight for a safer, healthier future, community groups are taking a stand and securing essential wins. See what grassroots organizations have already accomplished and learn how your community can model their success.
“We refused to let another toxic plant poison our children. When we organized, they listened.”
Sharon Lavigne, Founder, RISE St. James
- RISE St. James successfully halted progress on a $9.4 billion petrochemical complex by Formosa Plastics Group in Louisiana. Their advocacy emphasized the serious concerns about increased cancer risk and toxic pollution in their community.
Establish Local Laws Against Single-Use Plastics
Work with local leaders to phase out bags, straws, and foam containers. Push for compostable or reusable alternatives.
Plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic containers are some of the biggest contributors to single-use plastic pollution, but are also easy to swap out for plastic-free or reusable options.
Our partners at Beyond Plastics created this simple bill language you can customize and share with local elected officials.
- Both Vermont and New Jersey recently passed similar laws – your community or city could be next with your help.
Help Schools & Campuses Go Plastic-Free
Students are some of the most powerful changemakers in the plastics-and-health movement. Campus zero-waste programs, healthier options in cafeterias, and classroom lessons on endocrine disrupting chemicals can transform school campuses and build lifelong awareness.
Check out the Plastic-Free Campus Manual from the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) for best practices, case studies, and organizing tools.
- The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) and its Plastic-Free Campus Manual give students tools to eliminate single-use plastics in dining halls, dorms, and events.
- Schools that integrate toxin-free purchasing policies not only reduce waste but also directly protect children and young adults, who are some of the most vulnerable to chemical exposure.
Ditch the Disposable
Many cafeterias are filled with single-use plastic foodware and meal packaging. Plastic wrap, containers, and beverage linings can release harmful chemicals into food or beverages — especially when heated.
Beyond Plastics partnered with the Center for Environmental Health to create an invaluable toolkit to help students and schools Ditch the Disposable.
Resources
Resources and tools to help you lead activities that reduce plastic exposure.
EXPLORE MORE
This is just the first step. Join the plastic pushback and learn how to drive change in your community.
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Protect People Over Plastic
Protect People Over Plastic
Help advance stronger, health-protective standards.
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Protect Yourself & Your Family
Protect Yourself & Your Family
Reduce your daily exposure and reclaim your health.
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Resources
Resources
Access free tools and educational materials.