Act for Earth Day: Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution in North Carolina!

Today is Earth Day. This year's theme is Planet vs. Plastic, and we urgently need your help combating plastic pollution in North Carolina. A poll released today reveals that an overwhelming 82% of North Carolina voters support state action to reduce plastic pollution to protect public health and our environment. Now, it’s time for Raleigh to act.

Contact Your State Legislators: 
It’s crucial that our voices are heard. Fill out the form below to email your NC Senators and Representatives and let them know that you stand with the majority of voters who demand urgent action on single-use plastics.

WHY YOUR VOICE MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER

Local efforts in cities like Asheville and counties like Buncombe to limit single-use plastics have been blocked by state-level preemptions. Now, with public support at our back, it’s time for statewide legislation that bans harmful plastics once and for all. Our health, our ecosystems, and the beauty of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains depend on it.

Plastic pollution isn't just an environmental issue—it's a public health crisis. Studies have linked plastic exposure to critical health risks, including heart disease, infertility, and various cancers. Dr. Steve Wall, a retired pediatrician and advocate with the Plastic-Free WNC Health Working Group, underscores the necessity of legislative action to mitigate these dangers.

TOGETHER WE CAN TURN THE TIDE ON PLASTIC

Your participation is key to advancing this cause. Let’s stand united this Earth Day to secure a sustainable, healthy future for all North Carolina residents.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our planet.

Plastic Facts

100 billion - the number of plastic bags used by Americans every year.

12 million - the number of barrels of oil needed to produce a year's worth of plastic bags.

12 minutes - the amount of time the average plastic bag is used. 

25 billion - the number of styrofoam cups used by Americans every year.

1 million - the years a styrofoam cup persists in our environment.

345 - the number of local governments that have plastic bag bans.

Every year, plastic production adds as much greenhouse gases to the atmosphere as 189 new coal plants.

Microplastics are everywhere - from dust particles in the atmosphere to the deepest parts of the ocean. We all breathe or consume approximately one credit card’s worth of microplastic each week, the health effects of which are unknown.

A plastic product is effectively recycled — meaning a plastic bottle is recycled into another plastic bottle — only 2% of the time.

Plastic products can usually only be recycled one or two times before they reach a form that needs to be thrown away.

The United States exports much of its plastic waste to smaller, developing nations that don’t have the infrastructure to deal with it, where it ends up in landfills or incinerated.