Every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists today. Over 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s and the rate of production is accelerating. Estimates of how much plastic has been recycled range from only 3-9%. Most recycling that does occur merely down-cycles the material, turning it into single-use plastic products that will simply get thrown out again. Estimates project that if we continue on our current path, ocean plastic will outnumber fish by 2050. While the problem is massive and the implications are scary, we do have hope thanks to the five promising solutions below:

1. Reducing and Reusing

To solve our plastic pollution problem, our best hope is to reduce our use of single-use plastic. There are tons of reusable options available, from water bottles and containers to straws and bags. The burden shouldn’t only be on the consumer, though. Companies can play a major role in reducing their use of plastic packaging. For products like personal and home cleaning products, refill technology allows customers to refill containers when empty, rather than having to continually purchase the products in single-use bottles. Consumers have been effective in pressuring companies to reduce of single-use plastic and companies are starting to respond!

2. Sustainable Alternatives to Plastic

Rather than use traditional petroleum-based plastic, there are so many other alternatives that we can switch to:

• Recycled cardboard and responsibly-sources paper-based options can replace some plastics. Even tape can now be made with biodegradable cellulose and natural rubber-based adhesive.
• Bamboo is a wonderful alternative to plastic. It rapidly regrows, requires no pesticides or irrigation, and it produces 35% more oxygen than trees! We’ve seen some great uses in toothbrushes, utensils, plates, and even bamboo charcoal floss!
• Mycelium-based plastic alternatives and packing material are promising because they use agricultural waste as a breeding ground for the fungus, which then grows into the shape of the mould. It’s strong, light, cheap, and requires very little energy to produce.
• Biodegradable thermoplastics are created by adding prodegradant concentrates. These additives help plastic breakdown into small particles which can be eaten by microorganisms and transformed into CO₂, water and harmless biomass.
• Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polyesters are biodegradable and biocompatible plastics that are created with a renewable source: bacteria like Pseudomonas putida and Cupriavidus necator!
• Polylactic acid (PLA) is an biodegradable alternative made from lactic acid, created by fermentation. These bioplastics are renewable and require very little energy to produce.
• Edible food packaging made from seaweed, casein-based alginate, pectin, carrageenan, or konjac flour can replace some food packaging–and make it fun to eat as well!

3. A circular economy for plastics

A circular economy is one where we only use what we’ve already harvested from the Earth, while working to remove and reuse existing plastic waste. While most of our plastic recycling simply “downcycles” the plastics into single-use items, a major breakthrough has come through Canadian company Loop Industries. They have pioneered a depolymerization process that deconstructs plastic waste into its basic chemical building blocks, removes the impurities, and reconstructs it into high-quality PET. This process yields new hope for repurposing existing plastic waste.

4. Clean-up efforts

Although the large cleaning machines seem like a good solution, they cannot discriminate between plastic and wildlife. Many plastic pieces are also smaller than what can be detected. Also only a very small percentage of plastic is even found on the surface. Good old-fashioned beach and waterway clean ups, however are great! Clean-ups are occurring across the world in greater frequency with more volunteers than ever. With dedicated people committed to cleaning our beaches, we can make real progress on removing plastic from our environment.

5. Single-Use Plastic Bans

All around the globe, governments and businesses, often spurred to action by dedicated citizen advocacy groups, are making moves to ban single-use plastics. Here are just some of the nations, states, cities, and companies that have taken action to reduce single-use plastics:

• Banned microbeads: The UK has banned most microbeads and Canada has banned microbeads entirely.
• Banned utensils, cups, bags and straws: Taiwan
• Banned polystyrene: Zimbabwe
• Banned all single-use plastic: New Dehli
• Banned straws, stirrers and utensils: Seattle and Malibu
• Banned straws: Washington’s Edmond, Florida’s Miami Beach, Fort Meyers Beach, St. Petersburg, California’s Alameda, Carmel, San Luis, Obispo, Davis, Manhattan Beach, Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, NJ’s Monmouth Beach
• Banned coffee pods: Hamburg
• Banned cups, plates, lightweight bags and cutlery: France
• Banned single-use bags: Morocco, Rwanda, Vanuatu, Cameroon, Benin, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Gabon Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Tunisia, Uganda, some Australian states, Kenya, Indian states Sikkim & Himachal Pradesh, Montreal and provinces in Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, & Quebec, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Georgia, Netherlands, Italy, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti, Panama, some Australian states, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, California, Puerto Rico, Samoa, many counties in Hawaii, a few cities in Colorado, Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York, Texas, Rhode Island, Oregon, & Washington, Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile. The Philippines, Pakistan, and Nepal have attempted bans, but with poor enforcement
• Placed fees on bags: China, Indonesia, Israel, South Africa, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and Argentina have introduced fees and levys to discourage use. France banned produce bags and bags under 50 microns Italy banned lightweight bags
• Companies: Ikea banned all single use plastics, while Disney, American Airlines, Hyatt, Marriot, UK McDonalds, Alaska Airlines, Bon Appetit, SeaWorld, American Express, Royal Caribbean Cruises, A&W Canada, UK Burger King, Starbucks, and many local businesses have banned straws and stirrers

Momentum is building and innovation is advancing, bolstering our hope that humanity can come together to tackle plastic pollution. With so many dedicated advocates and innovative options available to help us move away from single-use, we can finally see a future that isn’t clogged with plastic waste.