{"id":3547,"date":"2020-12-17T20:17:08","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T20:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/?page_id=3547"},"modified":"2026-03-24T22:43:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T22:43:57","slug":"global-plastics-crisis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/global-plastics-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"The Global Plastics Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n        #myVideo_mp4{\n        position: absolute; z-index: -99; width: 100%; height: 100%;top:0;left:0;\n    }\n    banner-image-1 iframe,\n    banner-1 iframe{\n        width: 100%;\n        height: 100%;\n    }\n    .banner-1.full-block .mob-banner-sect.high-content-arrow {\n\t\tpadding:64% 0 0 0 !important;\n\t}\n    .banner-1.full-block .mob-banner-sect.high-content-arrow .banner-txt-1 {\n\t\ttop: 10%;\n\t}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"banner-1 full-block large-banner   \">\n        <div class=\"mob-banner-sect lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;background-repeat: no-repeat;\n    background-size: cover;height:auto;padding:56.25% 0 0 0;\" data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/header-a-global-plastics-crisis.png)\">\n            <div class=\"banner-txt-1\">\n                                                                                <h1>The Global Plastics Crisis<\/h1>\n                                <h3>The ever-increasing production of plastics is creating serious problems for our health, climate, land, water, and wildlife. Recycling isn\u2019t the answer . . . reduction is. <\/h3>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <div class=\"banner-image-1 banner-image-mobile lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\"\n              data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/header-a-global-plastics-crisis.png)\">\n\n                     \n        \n<script>\n  \/\/ 2. This code loads the IFrame Player API code asynchronously.\n  var tag = document.createElement('script');\n\n  tag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/iframe_api\";\n  var firstScriptTag = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];\n  firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag, firstScriptTag);\n\n  \/\/ 3. This function creates an <iframe> (and YouTube player)\n  \/\/    after the API code downloads.\n  var player;\n  var player_2;\n  function onYouTubeIframeAPIReady() {\n    player = new YT.Player('player', {\n      width: '100%',\n      height:'100%',\n      videoId: '',\n      playerVars: { 'rel':0, 'autoplay': 1, 'controls':0, 'showinfo':0, 'loop':1, 'playsinline': 1, playlist: '',\n        loop: 1 },\n      events: {\n        'onReady': onPlayerReady\n      }\n    });\n    player_2 = new YT.Player('player_2', {\n      width: '100%',\n      height:'100%',\n      videoId: '',\n      playerVars: { 'rel':0, 'autoplay': 1,'controls':0, 'showinfo':0, 'loop':1, 'playsinline': 1, playlist: '',\n        loop: 1 },\n      events: {\n        'onReady': onPlayerReady\n      }\n    });\n  }\n\n  \/\/ 4. The API will call this function when the video player is ready.\n  function onPlayerReady(event) {\n     event.target.mute();\n    event.target.playVideo();\n  }\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n        <div class=\"banner-txt-1\">\n                                                             <h1>The Global Plastics Crisis<\/h1>\n                        <h3>The ever-increasing production of plastics is creating serious problems for our health, climate, land, water, and wildlife. Recycling isn\u2019t the answer . . . reduction is. <\/h3>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"banner-image-1 banner-image-desktop lazyload\"  style=\"background-image:inherit;\"\n              data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/header-a-global-plastics-crisis.png)\">\n                <div class=\"banner-txt-1\">\n                                                            <h1>The Global Plastics Crisis<\/h1>\n                        <h3>The ever-increasing production of plastics is creating serious problems for our health, climate, land, water, and wildlife. Recycling isn\u2019t the answer . . . reduction is. <\/h3>\n                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"sidebar-text-block-sec\" style=\"margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:20px;\n     padding-top:0px; padding-bottom:0px;\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"col-sm-3 sidebar-left \">\n                <aside id=\"secondary\" class=\"widget-area\">\n                                        <div class= \"sidebar_menu_ar\" style=\"\"> \n                                                                        <h2><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/\">The Urgency to Reduce Plastics<\/a><\/h2>\n                           \n                            <div class=\"menu-about-zero-waste-container aaa\">\n                                <ul id=\"menu-about-zero-waste sss\" class=\"menu\">\n                                    \n                                                                        <li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/eliminating-problematic-plastics\/\">Eliminating Problematic Plastics<\/a><\/li>\n                                   \n                                                <li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/product-design\/\">Better Product Design for Better Recycling<\/a><\/li>\n                                   \n                                                <li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/producer-responsibility-for-plastics\/\">Producer Responsibility for Plastics<\/a><\/li>\n                                   \n                                                <li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/campaigns-policies-reduce-plastics\/\">Campaigns &#038; Policies to Reduce Plastics<\/a><\/li>\n                                   \n                                                <li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/microplastics\/\">The Problem with Microplastics<\/a><\/li>\n                                   \n                                               \n                                <\/ul>\n                            <\/div>\n                            <\/div>            \n                <\/aside>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"col-sm-9  arrow-bullet-list-blue \">\n                <section class=\"section-sidbar-block-pd   sidebar-page-main-column  inner-first  inner-page shift alternating-img-block\">\n                    <h2>Every stage of plastics&mdash;from resource extraction to disposal&mdash;contributes significantly to climate change and social injustices.<\/h2>\n<p><b>The ever-increasing production and disposal of plastics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is fueling a global crisis affecting every ecosystem and species on Earth. While there is a lot of focus on the impacts of plastic pollution and litter in our oceans, it is critical to recognize that every stage of plastics&mdash;from fracking and extraction of fossil fuels, to production at chemical processing plants that emit air pollution, to their use by consumers, to their disposal in landfills and incinerators or as litter in our oceans and throughout the environment&mdash;contributes significantly to climate change and is inextricably linked to numerous other environmental, social justice, and public health tragedies. We can only advance the best solutions to combat our plastics crisis when we address the problems at each of these stages.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While plastics have led to many advancements in medicine, technology, and transportation, their use has also led to a sharp increase in single-use disposable plastic packaging and products. <\/span><b>The reality is that recycling alone will never be able to keep pace with the increase of plastics production, and recycling is not the solution to this problem.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is reducing the rampant production of these plastics, yet <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.weforum.org\/docs\/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plastic production is expected to double in the next 20 years, and could triple by 2050<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&mdash;by which time, experts predict, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ellenmacarthurfoundation.org\/topics\/plastics\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">there will be more plastic pollution in the ocean than fish<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Much of this impact is due to our addiction to single-use disposable plastics. We cannot recycle our way out of this prolific problem and its social and climate impacts.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>More facts about plastics production and pollution:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.1700782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Since the 1950s, plastic production worldwide has exploded<\/a> from roughly 2 million tons annually to a whopping <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">440 million tons in 2015<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9% of plastics ever created has been recycled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Every piece of plastic ever made still exists, largely in landfills and also as litter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/science\/article\/plastic-trash-in-seas-will-nearly-triple-by-2040-if-nothing-done\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plastic trash flowing into the ocean is expected to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nearly triple by 2040<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chemicals derived from oil, coal, and natural gas&mdash;all nonrenewable resources that cause pollution&mdash;are used to make 99% of plastics. If these trends in production do not change, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unenvironment.org\/interactive\/beat-plastic-pollution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the plastics industry may account for 20% of the world&rsquo;s total oil consumption by 2050<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The True Impacts of Plastics, from Extraction to Disposal<\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2021 report<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from Beyond Plastics, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondplastics.org\/plastics-and-climate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">if current production trends keep up, plastics could be a bigger source of greenhouse gases in the US than the coal industry by 2030<\/a>. That&rsquo;s because 99% of all plastics are manufactured from fossil fuels&mdash;oil, gas, and coal&mdash;which emit greenhouse gases from cradle to grave.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a report called <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ciel.org\/reports\/plastic-health-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet-may-2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Plastic &amp; Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet,&rdquo;<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> released by the Center for International Environmental Law, if we continue on our path in which policies foster plastics production, the plastics sector will only increase its fossil fuel consumption and its resulting climate impact. According to the World Economic Forum, about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.weforum.org\/docs\/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4&ndash;8% of annual global oil consumption<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is currently attributed to plastics production. If this reliance on plastics persists, that percentage will rise to 20% of the world&#8217;s oil by 2050.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>The Impact of Oil and Gas Extraction for Plastic Production<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ninety-nine percent of all plastics are manufactured from fossil fuels extracted from the earth through oil drilling, hydraulic fracturing (or &ldquo;fracking&rdquo;), and mining. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/08\/27\/the-us-is-about-to-send-a-lot-more-oil-into-an-oversupplied-market.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past decade, oil and gas production in the US has more than doubled.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Currently, over 800,000 active oil wells are located in the continental US, and an estimated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6344296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8 million people live near an active oil extraction site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As oil and gas drilling has expanded in recent decades, so has the release of toxic chemicals that are used and emitted in the extraction process. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surfrider.org\/coastal-blog\/entry\/a-reality-check-on-environmental-racism-plastics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">These chemicals not only pollute the air, but can contaminate groundwater<\/a> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as drills pass through a water table. In 58 studies of water quality near oil and gas production sites, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psehealthyenergy.org\/our-work\/publications\/archive\/toward-an-understanding-of-the-environmental-and-public-health-impacts-of-shale-gas-development-an-analysis-of-the-peer-reviewed-scientific-literature-2009-2015\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">69% found evidence of water contamination<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> associated with oil and gas production.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>The Impact of Transporting Oil and Gas to Plastic Refineries<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After fossil fuels are extracted, they are transported through flowlines or pipelines to refineries. According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ciel.org\/reports\/plastic-health-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet-may-2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Center for International Environmental Law&rsquo;s report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, for the US, in 2015 alone, plastic production emissions associated with extraction and transport amounted to 9.5&ndash;10.5 million metric tons of CO2&mdash;which equates to those that would result from driving 2.1 million passenger cars in one year. In 2015, emissions from manufacturing ethylene&mdash;a basic building block for plastic production&mdash;was 184.3 to 213 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or approximately the emissions generated by 45 million passenger cars in a year.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><\/b>The Impact of Plastic Refineries and Crackers<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pipelines carry oil and gas to refineries and crackers, where they are processed and turned into polymers used to make plastics. Plastic is among the most energy-intensive of materials to produce. Fractional distillation&mdash;the process used to isolate petroleum from the crude oil mix&mdash;uses lots of energy, as does the &ldquo;cracking&rdquo; process in which ethane and propane are &ldquo;cracked&rdquo; into ethylene and propylene (the building blocks of plastic) using high-temperature furnaces. These polymers are combined with petrochemical additives to give the plastic resin different characteristics, such as making it transparent, pigmented, soft, hard, flexible, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>The Disproportionate Health Impacts of Plastic Production<\/h4>\n<p>Harmful pollutants emitted from oil and gas operations can impact human respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, immune, neurological, and digestive systems, leading to increased risk of cancer, obesity, asthma, diabetes, metabolic diseases, and infertility.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people and communities facing the most significant health and environmental risks due to plastic production are those working at or living close to manufacturing sites. Emissions from refineries and cracker plants can expose workers and nearby communities to ethylene and propylene, which when combined with sunlight, form smog that has been associated with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.climaterealityproject.org\/blog\/ethane-cracker-plants-what-are-they\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> increased rates of cardiovascular problems and respiratory illnesses<\/a> such as lung infections and asthma. Too often, those disproportionately exposed to and affected by the harmful upstream impacts of plastic are Black, Latino, Indigenous, and typically low-income communities. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ciel.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Plastic-and-Health-The-Hidden-Costs-of-a-Plastic-Planet-February-2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a report by the Center for International Environmental Law<\/a>, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plant workers and the communities near plastic production and incineration sites are exposed to toxic air <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emissions<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that are known to increase risk of cancer, neurological damage, and damages to immune, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine systems.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>The Disposal Impacts of Plastics<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every piece of plastic ever created still exists on the planet, and only 9% of all plastics ever produced has been recycled. The downstream impacts&mdash;the impacts of plastic that occur after we consume an item&mdash;are tangible, but despite the fact that we know plastics are taking up space in landfills and polluting oceans, the problem is even bigger than the eye can see.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/resources\/video-the-downstream-impacts-of-plastic\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">downstream impacts of plastic<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Microplastics<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearly all plastics are made from fossil fuels. These plastics are not biodegradable, meaning they do not decompose. When plastic objects end up as litter, they break down into tiny pieces when exposed to sunlight and other elements. These tiny particles are called &ldquo;microplastics,&rdquo; and they&rsquo;ve been found in animals, soils, water, and in humans all around the world. According to a study by the University of Newcastle, in Australia, people around the world <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newcastle.edu.au\/newsroom\/featured\/plastic-ingestion-by-people-could-be-equating-to-a-credit-card-a-week\/how-much-microplastics-are-we-ingesting-estimation-of-the-mass-of-microplastics-ingested\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ingest an average of around 2,000 microplastic particles a week<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, equivalent to the weight of a credit card.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/microplastics\/\">Learn more about microplastics!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Solutions to the Global Plastics Crisis<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The global plastics crisis isn&rsquo;t inevitable; it is the result of a poorly designed production system. The good news is, we have the power to change that system. We need to replace our linear system that goes one way&mdash;from extracting the planet&rsquo;s finite resources to destroying them in a dump or incinerator&mdash;and replace it with a far more sustainable, circular system. We can do that if we:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/eliminating-problematic-plastics\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that shouldn&rsquo;t be in production in the first place. Some plastics are unnecessarily more toxic, polluting, and nonrecyclable. Rather than seeking a recycling solution for these materials, we need to reduce or eliminate them all together.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/product-design\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work with producers on better product design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We need to simplify and standardize plastic packaging, creating innovative approaches to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/producer-responsibility-for-plastics\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enact Producer Responsibility policies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The plastics crisis isn&rsquo;t one that can be solved by simply engaging governments, recyclers, and consumers. We need to hold<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> industries responsible for the products and packagi<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ng they produce. Across the US, states are turning toward Producer Responsibility policies to fundamentally revamp and reinvest in our recycling systems to build a more efficient, financially sustainable system.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>What you can do:<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For so long, the plastics industry has waged campaigns to make it appear that our plastic pollution problem is the fault of consumers unwilling to recycle. You already recycle, but the real change will come with support of the systemic changes above. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engaged, educated, and responsible individuals can collectively transform entire systems and communities.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn how you can engage in <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/reducing-plastics\/campaigns-policies-reduce-plastics\/\">campaigns that lead to systemic change.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While we work toward systemic change, learn how you can <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/eco-living\/refuse-and-reduce\/how-to-reduce-plastic\/\">eliminate plastics from your life and send a message to producers<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Learn more:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yaleclimateconnections.org\/2019\/08\/how-plastics-contribute-to-climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;How Plastics Contribute to Climate Change,&#8221; <em>Yale Climate Connections<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.climaterealityproject.org\/blog\/ethane-cracker-plants-what-are-they#:~:text=Ground%2Dlevel%20ozone%2C%20or%20smog,to%20cancer%20and%20childhood%20leukemia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Ethane Cracker Plants: What Are They?&#8221; <em>The Climate Reality Project<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ciel.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Plastic-and-Health-The-Hidden-Costs-of-a-Plastic-Planet-February-2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Plastic and Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul> \n\n                <\/section>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"related-resources-sec   \" style=\"margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px;\n     padding-top:30px; padding-bottom:30px;\">\n\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <h2>Related Resources<\/h2>\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"col-xs-12 \">\n                <nav>\n                    <div class=\"nav nav-tabs nav-fill\" id=\"nav-tab\" role=\"tablist\">\n                        <ul>\n                             \n                            \n                            \n                            <li><a class=\"nav-item nav-link active\" id=\"nav-resources-tab\" data-toggle=\"tab\" href=\"#nav-resources\" role=\"tab\" aria-controls=\"nav-resources\" aria-selected=\"true\">Resources<\/a><\/li>\n                                                                                      <\/ul>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/nav>\n                <div class=\"tab-content py-3 px-3 px-sm-0\" id=\"nav-tabContent\">\n\n                    <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"tab-pane fade show active in\" id=\"nav-resources\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"nav-resources-tab\">\n                        <div class=\"row\">\n                            \n                                                   \n                               <div class=\"col-md-3\">\n\n                                        <div class=\"content-ar\">\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/resources\/video-the-downstream-impacts-of-plastic\/\">\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"relatedresourceimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FEATURED-RESOURCE_video_the-downstream-impacts-of-plastic.png\" class=\"rs-img lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 626px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 626\/348;\"><\/div>\n                                                                                                <h3 >Video: The Downstream Impacts of Plastic<\/h3>\n                                            <\/a>\n                                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>   \n                            \n                                                   \n                               <div class=\"col-md-3\">\n\n                                        <div class=\"content-ar\">\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/resources\/fact-sheet-reducing-plastic-consumption\/\">\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"relatedresourceimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FEATURED-RESOURCE_Reducing-Plastic-Consumption.png\" class=\"rs-img lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 260px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 260\/336;\"><\/div>\n                                                                                                <h3 >Fact Sheet: Reducing Plastic Consumption<\/h3>\n                                            <\/a>\n                                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>   \n                            \n                                                   \n                               <div class=\"col-md-3\">\n\n                                        <div class=\"content-ar\">\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/resources\/fact-sheet-reduce-plastic-pollution-in-colorado\/\">\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"relatedresourceimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/FEATURED-RESOURCE_Reduce-Plastic-Pollution-in-Colorado.png\" class=\"rs-img lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 260px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 260\/338;\"><\/div>\n                                                                                                <h3 >Fact Sheet: Reduce Plastic Pollution in Colorado<\/h3>\n                                            <\/a>\n                                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>   \n                            \n                                                   \n                               <div class=\"col-md-3\">\n\n                                        <div class=\"content-ar\">\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/resources\/graphic-quick-guide-to-plastics\/\">\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"relatedresourceimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Graphic_Quick-Guide-To-Plastics.png\" class=\"rs-img lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 5100px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 5100\/3600;\"><\/div>\n                                                                                                <h3 >Graphic: Quick Guide to Plastics<\/h3>\n                                            <\/a>\n                                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>   \n                            \n                                                                          \n\n\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                                                             <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"program-box-link\">\n                       \n            \n            <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/resource-library\/\">See All Resources <i class=\"fa fa-arrow-circle-o-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!--<\/div>-->\n\n\n<!--<\/div>-->\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growth in plastics production is creating serious problems for our health, climate, land, water, and wildlife. <!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8896,"parent":3648,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3547","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Global Plastics Crisis - Eco-Cycle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ever-increasing production of plastics is creating serious problems for our health, our climate, land, water, and wildlife. 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