Beyond Plastics

We know that microplastics are harming our bodies, but what’s been less clear is exactly how that’s happening. A major new study from scientists at Columbia provides insight into how: the combination of microplastics and water create highly reactive chemicals. #plastic #microplastics #health

Our free, two-hour Beyond Plastics Grassroots Advocacy Training will help you build those skills, identify opportunities to make a difference in your community, and connect with a growing national movement for change Join us November 7, or 10, or 12 Register: beyondplastics.org/trainings #plastic

Our free, two-hour Beyond Plastics Grassroots Advocacy Training will help you build those skills, identify opportunities in your community, and become part of a growing national movement for change. Join us November 7, or 10, or 12. Register: www.beyondplastics.org/trainings #plastic #advocacy

Our free, two-hour Beyond Plastics Grassroots Advocacy Training will help you explore opportunities in your own community, build your advocacy skills, and connect with a growing national network. Join us November 7, or 10, or 12. Register: www.beyondplastics.org/trainings

Tell LA28: Don’t Waste the Games The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring millions of visitors to Los Angeles and, without a commitment to protecting the environment, could also generate millions of disposable items. Add your name to the petition at dontwastethegames.org #la28 #olympics

Thank you to the hundreds of people across the country who showed up and called on #Starbucks to ditch the plastic. We had 22 demonstrations at Starbucks stores in 11 states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, & Washington

Join Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics president and author of The Problem with Plastic, for a free book talk on Friday, November 20 at 7 pm at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY The event is free, but please register in advance at mediasanctuary.org/event/judith-enck-on-plastics #Troy #NY

Want to attend the virtual National Zero Waste Conference on October 21–22, 2026, hosted by Zero Waste USA? Beyond Plastics supporters get a discounted rate of $50! Use this link to register at the discounted rate: events.humanitix.com/nzwc2026?accesscode=NZWCNGO2026 #zerowaste #plastic

A new study from the @ejfoundation.org and Paul Angell Foundation looked at the toxicity of the chemicals used in everyday plastic items, focusing on food-contact plastics, textiles, toys, household items, and hygiene and medical items. Their findings are alarming #plastic #microplastics #health

We sense a trend with this company. apnews.com/article/starbucks-sugar-free-protein-drinks-coffee-beverages-9c1c76cc3d5dc712f76a8bfbd4493459 #starbucks

Environmentalists gathered in #Albany to urge #Starbucks to stop lying about #plastics recycling. Beyond Plastics founder Judith Enck spoke with Spectrum New 1 about our Starbucks plastic cup recycling investigation, which exposed that none of their plastic cups were confirmed to have been recycled

Tempe, Arizona, residents gathered outside #Starbucks to urge the world’s largest coffee chain to ditch the plastic. Julie Morrison from Plastic Free Phoenix, and Arizona State Representative Stacey Travers spoke about the need to ditch the plastic for the sake of our communal health.

Environmental and labor activists unite to tell #Starbucks to change its harmful ways. We held a demonstration outside CEO Brian Niccol’s office, calling on Starbucks to stop deceiving the public about the recyclability of its plastic cups and to ditch the plastic. #StarbucksDitchThePlastic

#Exxon is one of the forces behind the Recycled Materials Attribution Act (HR 7502), a federal bill that would unfortunately codify and expand so-called “chemical recycling” across the US, according to excellent investigative journalism from Josh Voorhees at Field Notes. #plastic #climatechange

Citizens (and one pug!) across the Boston region are demanding that @Starbucks ditch the single-use plastic cups. #StarbucksDitchThePlastic #Starbucks #BrianNiccol #plastic #boston

#NYPost reports on Beyond Plastics’ #Starbucks plastic cups “recycling” investigation, where we tracked 69 single-use plastic cups from Starbucks’ in-store recycling bins, and not one was confirmed to be recycled. #plastic #microplastics

BREAKING: DEMONSTRATIONS AT 22 STARBUCKS STORES ACROSS 11 STATES CALL ON COFFEE GIANT TO STOP LYING ABOUT PLASTICS RECYCLING #Starbucks #plastics

This Climate Week, we were happy to be reunited (on a boat, no less!) with Dr. Jamala Djinn (from Break Free From Plastic), Holly Kaufman (The Plastics & Climate Project), Dr. Kim Warner (Oceana), and Renée Sharp (NRDC). #plastic #climateweek

We have loved connecting with audiences about our book The Problem with Plastic. Thank you to Northshire Bookstore for hosting us and Sarah LaDuke for the thoughtful questions! Next: Sharon, CT on Sep 27 and Union Theological Seminary in New York City on Oct 1. Register beyondplastics.org/events

Beyond Plastics is proud to sponsor the Salvage Art Summit, a free, 4-day virtual event from September 24th - 27th featuring talks from 22 artists, activists, and educators about art-driven climate activism. Head to salvageartsummit.com for these inspiring talks! #art #climateweek #climatechange

Single-use casts a long shadow. Starbucks is likely one of the largest purchasers of single-use plastic cups in the United States, using an estimated 8 million every day. Sign our petition to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol actionnetwork.org/petitions/starbucks-cups #starbucks #plastic #microplastics

This July, the Beyond Plastics Network hit a major milestone when we welcomed our 200th Local Group & Affiliate! To celebrate, we asked our very first Local Group and Affiliate, New York City’s It’s Easy Being Green, to share their journey in our newsletter. Sign up at beyondplastics.org/sign-up

That clear hard plastic packaging hanging on the shelves at Home Depot may look harmless, but it's not. Read the full investigation and sign the petition at storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d16f1245ce1e47fab690da27d8ce571a #HomeDepot #TheHomeDepot #WeAreHomeDepot #plastics #MindTheStore

This Saturday, September 19, from 5-7 pm, we'll be tabling at The Capa Space's opening reception for an exhibit featuring photographs by Chris Jordan that document plastic pollution's devastation on the albatross colonies of Midway Atoll. The Capa Space, 2467 Quaker Church Road, Yorktown, New York

Please join us on Thursday, October 1st at 5 pm at Union Theological Seminary’s Burke Library (3rd floor, 3041 Broadway) in NYC for a free book talk RSVP: centerforearthethics.org/the-problem-with-plastics-a-book-talk-with-judith-enck-and-karenna-gore/ #nyc #climatechange #plastic #freeevent

Our fall book tour continues in Sharon, Connecticut! Join Judith Enck, co-author and president of Beyond Plastics, in conversation with Dr. Joshua Ginsberg, president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Sunday, September 27 at 4 PM ET Sharon Town Hall 63 Main Street, Sharon, CT #free

Join co-author and Beyond Plastics president Judith Enck; Folk Alley executive director and former senior producer for WAMC’s The Roundtable, Sarah LaDuke; and Sustainable Saratoga for a free talk: Thursday, September 17 at 6 pm Northshire Books Saratoga 424 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY

These are just a few of the studies from this year (2026 alone!) showing how plastic is hurting fertility, babies, and children. The science continues to mount, but we already have more than enough evidence of plastic's harms to take action now. #plastic #microplastics #health

New York is in the midst of a plastic crisis, which is fueling environmental injustices and damaging public health. For more, head to theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/sep/03/plastic-waste-new-york-environment #plastic #microplastics #climatechange #ny

Join Beyond Plastics Founder Judith Enck in this important webinar Thursday, September 10, at 7 pm ET Free and open to all! Register at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2UtEyP7wSl--GRMsfV36VA#/registration #plastic #webinar

We’re excited to welcome the Plastic Awareness & Reduction Team, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the Beyond Plastics Network as an affiliate! If you’re interested in joining this growing movement, head to our website to learn more: beyondplastics.org/local-groups-affiliates #plastic

Back-to-school season is here, and we have the perfect class for you! In our Beyond Plastic Pollution Course begins on Wednesday, September 9th from 7 - 9 pm ET and goes through October 21st. Learn more and register at beyondplastics.org/events/fall-2026 #plastic #class #backtoschool

At Beyond Plastics’ advocacy days in Albany, you never know who you’ll meet! In 2025, advocates from #BeyondPlasticsQueens and #SurfriderEasternLongIsland met with a co-sponsor of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act: then-New York Assemblymember @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

Beyond Plastics founder Judith Enck had the pleasure of talking trash with PBS last week. This was a fascinating and fun conversation. Tune in at thirteen.org/programs/horizons-from-pbs-news/can-recycling-solve-the-worlds-trash-problem-xmlwiy/ #pbs #recycling

Tell Starbucks: Ditch the plastic! Sign our petition to Starbucks CEO #BrianNiccol at actionnetwork.org/petitions/starbucks-cups #starbucks #plastic

We’re excited to welcome Coastal Watch Association to the Beyond Plastics Network as an affiliate! The Beyond Plastics Network is an opportunity for like-minded groups to work together to reduce plastic pollution and advance solutions Learn more: beyondplastics.org/local-groups-affiliates

We’re excited to welcome @clearskiesandseas.bsky.social to the Beyond Plastics Network as an affiliate! The Beyond Plastics Network is an opportunity for like-minded groups to work together to reduce plastic pollution and advance solutions. Learn more: beyondplastics.org/local-groups-affiliates

We think you’ll love the Beyond Plastics Pollution Course, but don’t just take it from us. Class begins on Wednesday, September 9th from 7 - 9 pm ET and goes through October 21st. Learn more and register at beyondplastics.org/events/fall-2026 #plastic #climatechange #class

We are so lucky to have college student Leah Penny as a member of our Beyond Plastics Speakers Bureau. Learn more about Leah and her work in our August newsletter. To sign up or to become a member of our speakers bureau, head to our website beyondplastics.org #plastic #climatechange

One of the barriers preventing us from reducing single-use packaging and banning toxic chemicals? Fat cat lobbyists. From March to April 2026, the most lobbied non-budget bill in NY State was the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. This was also the case in 2025 #ny #climate

Join Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics president and author of The Problem with Plastic, for a free book talk at the Lake Placid Public Library on Friday, September 4 at 4:30 PM Books will be available for sale, and a signing will follow the conversation. We hope you’ll join us! #plastic #freevent

In concerning news, NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that NY does not know how much it is actually recycling due to lax oversight from the DEC. The lack of oversight and reliable recycling data is yet another reason we need to reduce our reliance on recycling and prioritize source reduction.

We absolutely love this comic book review by the incredibly talented Maria Fitzgerald! You can learn more about Maria's art and advocacy in our August newsletter, coming soon. Sign up at beyondplastics.org and explore more of Maria’s art at maria-fitzgerald.com. Thank you, Maria #comicbook #plastic

“‘What’s changed in the past two years is that the political power of the fossil fuel, chemical, and plastics industry has only gotten stronger, particularly within the Trump administration.’" - Judith Enck medium.com/the-new-climate/the-citizens-vs-the-plastics-industry-8bb5f7fed751

Considering taking the Beyond Plastic Pollution course? Here’s what a former student had to say “There's really nothing comparable for those interested in learning everything about plastics, including their evolution, their environmental impacts, and how we can best address today’s plastics crisis"

Based on recently reported revenue, we estimate that Starbucks uses nearly 8 million cold cups every day in the U.S. — that's more than 5,000 a minute! Ask Starbucks to reduce its use of single-use plastic at beyondplastics.org/actions/starbucks-cups #starbucks #plastic

Join Beyond Plastics on Tuesday, September 15 at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT for a free educational webinar about a groundbreaking study from Duke that exposes the unsustainable economic and societal costs of plastic pollution. Register at beyondplastics.org/events #plastic #webinar #free

Our babies are being born pre-polluted, with microplastics entering their bodies before they even enter this world. We have the solutions to change this reality. We need our elected officials to act: reduce single-use plastics and protect our health from the toxic chemicals in plastics.

We urge Starbucks to make much-needed changes to greatly reduce its reliance on plastic. How? By providing dishwashing and staffing resources so workers can effectively implement its reusable policy It's also critical that Starbucks provides a safe and healthy environment for its workers #starbucks

Major milestone alert: the Beyond Plastics Network now has 200 Local Groups and Affiliates nationwide! 🎉 Thank you to every one of our Local Groups and Affiliates who made this milestone possible. We're grateful to be in community with you as we work together to end plastic pollution.