You’ve likely heard about the obscene quantities of plastic on our planet, but how much is really out there?  

To put it into perspective, plastic was first popularized in the 1950’s- 75 years ago. Yet, half of the world’s plastic was produced in the last 20 years. Production has gone from 2.3 million tons of plastic in 1950 to over 450 million tons today. Those numbers are expected to triple by 2060.  

In the U.S., the plastics industry produces a disproportionate amount of plastic. With only 4% of the world’s population, the United States produces 17% of the world’s plastic waste. Producing over 40 million tons annually, that is more than the entire European Union (EU) combined. 

Plastic is used in many of the products you use every day; it is in takeout containers from a restaurant, or maybe more surprising, in your clothes, the walls of your house and teabags from the grocery store. Here’s a pie chart breakdown of plastics use.

About half of this plastic is classified as single-use, meaning it will be used once before it is landfilled. That short use might be convenient but it is costly. The lifespan of a plastic product can be followed by centuries in the landfill, contaminating our soil, water, air, and never truly breaking down. While the industry profits, the environmental and health consequences are left for consumers to bear. 

The plastics industry wants consumers to believe that their products are recyclable and sustainable. Today, as demand for oil drops in markets like transportation, plastics have become the fossil fuel industry’s “Plan B,” driving record-high production. While they funnel money into a marketing campaign that promotes recyclability to the public, the reality is much harsher.  

Of all that plastic, less than 10% of it is ever recycled worldwide, with some reports finding numbers even lower than that. That means the other 90% is still here in some form or another. 

That other 90% that is not recycled (even plastic that made it into the blue-bin) is most likely landfilled or incinerated, and the rest ends up in our air, soil, water, and even our bodies. Plastic covers about 40% of the ocean’s surface, killing hundreds of thousands of marine animals every year. 

Vermont is not immune to the urgency of plastic pollution. Here, we only have one landfill located in Coventry, a small town in the Northeast Kingdom. Coventry’s landfill takes up 129 acres of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, a 6th of which is occupied by plastic waste.  

Coventry underwent a 51- acre expansion in 2021, which allotted the space another 20 years or so. However, once that is full, Vermont will have to ask some serious questions about where its landfill will go.  

While Vermont is known for its beauty, plastic litter can still be seen in our lakes, forests, and our own backyards. Microplastics have even been found in Lake Champlain.  

Plastic does not biodegrade. Instead, it breaks into smaller pieces, leaving thousands or even millions of microplastics in its place. Microplastics are those teeny tiny particles of plastic that break off from plastic products like tea bags, water bottles, clothing, and tires, just to name a few. Microplastics can even be found as intentionally added ingredients in products like personal care products, cosmetics, and glitter.  

If it has plastic in it... then microplastics are inevitably left behind. 

Earlier this year, a major study found that the human brain can contain as much as 7 grams of microplastics. That is the equivalent of an entire plastic spoon’s worth of plastic… in your brain! On top of that, researchers found a higher quantity of microplastics in brains from 2024 compared to those from 2016. So, this a problem that is getting worse. 

Microplastics are not just in your brain. They are ubiquitous in our environment and in our own bodies. These plastic particles have been found in human blood, lungs, liver, and even the placenta. 

Plastic itself and then chemicals in it do not stay put. Inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact are all ways these bits of plastic and plastic chemicals can enter your body. 

Think about plastic takeout containers, for example. When you store food in them, chemicals and tiny bits of plastic can leach into the food, especially when you heat up plastic containers in the microwave. When you eat that food, you’re also consuming those plastics and chemicals. 

These chemicals are dangerous on their own, but microplastics make them even more harmful— acting as Trojan horses that carry toxic chemicals into our air, environment, and bodies.

Toxics in plastics 

Thousands of various chemicals are used to make the plastic we use today. In fact, over 16,000 chemicals are known to be involved in plastic production, many of which (over 10,000) have yet to be properly evaluated. Of the chemicals we have data on, 4,200 of them qualify as chemicals of concern and over 3,000 are globally unregulated. These chemicals are used in the packaging of our food, personal care products we use on our bodies, cleaning products in our homes and so much more. 

The toxic chemicals that make plastic have been connected to health impacts including reproductive and developmental problems, neurological conditions, and even cancer. 

Microplastics 

The mere physical presence of plastic particles is cause for concern. They can alert our body to a foreign intruder activating our physiological systems. They can physically damage, inflame, and puncture cells, tissue, and organs. They also act as a trojan horse, exposing you to toxic plastic chemicals while they exist in your body. 

Even in the earliest stages of research, microplastics have been linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, dementia, cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes, respiratory conditions, and even increased risk for certain types of cancer. 

Many brands now advertise the use of recycled plastic in their products, but the recycling process provides very little control over what the material comes into contact with. Throughout its lifecycle, plastic can become contaminated with hazardous substances, especially when it’s mixed with other discarded products. With minimal regulation over its composition, recycled plastic can contain unknown chemicals, sometimes making it even more toxic than the original material. 

Black plastic poses a major challenge for recycling systems because the machines that sort and process blue-bin recyclables actually cannot detect the color black. As a result, black plastic is often removed from the recycling stream and sent to landfills. Since it is rarely recycled, manufacturers sometimes turn to e-waste to meet the demand for black plastic. This means that black plastic- including food-contact items like kitchen spatulas- can contain toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and flame retardants. 

Although recycling facilities are working to upgrade their technology- meaning they may eventually be able to better detect black plastic- the additives used in black plastic and its low quality result in very little market demand. Consequently, black plastic remains unlikely to be recycled and continues to contribute to environmental and health concerns. 

Reducing your own use of plastics generally can protect your health. Less plastic means less pollution, reduces exposure, and minimizes your own risk.  

But ultimately, this problem is not something consumers can solve on their own. We need to get the root cause of plastic pollution with meaningful policy solutions and hold the industry, producers, and legislators accountable for tangible solutions that cut down on the quantity and toxicity of plastic. 

The plastic industry is a major driver for climate change, responsible for 4 times more climate pollution than the airline industry. By 2050, plastic production alone could burn through almost 20% of the world’s remaining carbon budget. The entire lifecycle of plastic releases hazardous pollutants, emissions, and chemicals into the air and environment, from fossil fuel extraction all the way to disposal.

Close proximity to plastic facilities and environmental hazards lead to poorer and disproportionate health outcomes. Incinerators, “chemical recycling” and other petrochemical facilities, and even rail lines for oil routes are all disproportionately placed in lower-income communities and communities of color. 

In Louisiana, an 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River is referred to as “cancer ally”. It is home to about 200 plants and refineries, leading to a risk of cancer that is 95% higher than most Americans or higher. Most of the residents are people of color or low-income, making it one of the many horrible examples of the injustice coming from the plastic industry. 

About 99 percent of plastic is made from fossil fuels. At its most fundamental level, plastic is gas, coal, and oil. 

Big Oil is a powerful industry that often tries to steer us away from real solutions.A lot of people think all plastic is recyclable because they marketed it that way. In fact, California, among other states, have filed lawsuits against the oil industry after running deceptive recyclability campaigns for decades with the knowledge that it was not. 

As the market shifts away from oil in other industries like transportation, the industry has shifted its marketing and money towards plastics as a “Plan B”. This is part of the skyrocket in plastic production and has led to an increased push for false solutions. 

If you have ever seen a headline that reads ‘we can recycle our way out of the plastic crisis’ then you are familiar with the industry’s push for false solutions. Most plastics are not recyclable in practice, yet the industry spends a fortune campaigning the idea to consumers. In reality, recycling cannot solve the real problem and the industry knows that.  

Incineration (burning plastic) is another example. The industry has promoted incineration for decades, even though burning plastic is one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases in energy production and releases toxic chemicals including carcinogens into the air. “Chemical recycling” is also a major push from the industry, which is essentially incineration under a new name.

So-called “chemical recycling” isn’t really recycling at all. It uses extreme heat and chemicals to break down plastic, but in most cases the facilities promoted by the industry simply burn plastic or turn it into dirty fuel—not new products. These operations come with serious environmental harms, including climate impacts up to 100 times worse than producing virgin plastic, along with the release of toxic chemicals into the environment. They are disproportionately built in low-income communities and communities of color.  

On top of that, they carry enormous price tags. Chemical recycling facilities can have price tags high as half a billion dollars- relying heavily on public subsidies- and yet... still fail to recycle plastic at any meaningful scale. 

This is a problem that needs to be addressed now. It should have been addressed yesterday. It is time to hold the industry, producers, and even legislators accountable. VPIRG is advocating for policies that will reduce the quantity and toxicity of plastic.  

Here are a few policy elements VPIRG will pursue in the 2025-26 biennium: 

A Chemical Recycling Ban. These facilities are inefficient, ineffective, and dangerous. The best way to tell the industry we do not support their false solution is to ban it at the state level.  

• Packaging (Quantity and Toxicity). It’s time to cut the quantity and toxicity of throwaway plastic packaging. We support targets like what our allies fought for in New York: 30% less plastic packaging over 12 years, a recycling rate of 75%, and prohibiting the 17 worst toxic chemicals and materials altogether. 

• A Ban on DEHP in IV Tubing and Bags. California and North Carolina have banned the use of the toxic chemical DEHP in IV bags and tubing. Vermont should too. 

• Microplastics. The intentional addition of microplastics in non-rinse off personal care and cleaning products should be prohibited. 

Less than 10% of plastic is recycled, and much of what is recycled gets downcycled into lower-quality products. But there is a program that shows us a better way to recycle: Vermont’s Bottle Bill. 

The Bottle Bill creates a true closed-loop system- turning plastic bottles back into plastic bottles- by keeping redeemable glass, aluminum, and plastic containers clean and separate from the rest of the recycling stream. As a result, Vermont recycles redeemable containers at an impressive 72%, compared to just over 30% for non-redeemable, and most of those redeemed containers stay food-grade. 

These outcomes are exactly why we’re pushing to enhance the existing program. The Bottle Bill works, and it works extremely well, but it should be more accessible and convenient to consumers.  

That is why we will prioritize strengthening Vermont’s existing Bottle Bill infrastructure. We’re laying the groundwork for future modernization by updating the system to make it more convenient for consumers, easier on mom-and-pop retailers, and improve the overall recycling process. 

Utilizing the Bottle Bill program is a great place to start. Redeemable containers include:  

• Beer, wine coolers, other malt beverages, and pre-mixed spirits cocktails (5-cent deposit) 

• Carbonated non-alcoholic beverages, including sodas, sparkling waters and juices, and carbonated sports and energy drinks (5-cent deposit) 

• Liquor and spirits (15-cent deposit) 

To learn more about Vermont’s Bottle Bill, check out the DEC’s Bottle Bill resource page! 

If you want to better understand single-stream (or blue bin) recycling, we recommend checking in with your local Material Recovery Facility (MRF). Each Vermont facility operates slightly differently, so reaching out directly is the best way to understand how you can most effectively utilize the single-stream system in your house. 

VPIRG began as a group of college students focused on reducing litter- especially single-use plastic- in Vermont by advocating for the Bottle Bill. While improving remains a priority, our work has grown to address plastic pollution in so many other ways- banning single-use plastics, remove toxic chemicals from packaging, and strengthen protections for children’s products- just to name a few. 

We have won these battles before. You might remember a time when plastic bags were everywhere. With grassroots advocacy, statehouse lobbying and public education, we passed what was, at the time, the most comprehensive single-use plastic ban in the country. 

Vermont’s single-use plastic bag ban took effect in 2020. 

• The law targeted a # of single use plastics including plastic bags- which have an average life span of 15 minutes and then last in the landfills for 1,000 years. 

• Since then, Vermont’s plastic bag use has dropped 91% 

• To put that into perspective- if we used 190 million/year in Vermont, with a 91% reduction, we can estimate… 

894 million throwaway bags have been saved in the last 5 years alone.  

And we are not stopping there. VPIRG will keep fighting to reduce the quantity and toxicity of plastic. 

For more on our past zero-waste work, go here. If you’d like to learn about our fight against toxics, start here.