As plastic production has grown over the last few decades, so has plastic pollution and growing scientific evidence demonstrating the harm of plastic pollution on the environment, economy and communities.

Ocean Conservancy’s Plastics Policy 101 report offers a primer on the plastic pollution crisis, and key policy solutions that can be implemented at the state and federal and state level in the United States to combat it. The current plastic pollution crisis cannot be addressed through consumer change alone and years of voluntary commitments and initiatives from the private sector have not met the scale of change needed. Policy is a powerful tool to scale up these initiatives and create the systemic change needed to address plastic pollution by bringing together all necessary stakeholders. As plastics touch on everything from recycling and waste management policies to food and water supplies and human health, the policy tools available are equally far-ranging.

To help decision makers craft the best possible policies to address plastic pollution, the Plastics Policy 101 report covers a range of science-backed policy solutions, including:

• Eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastics
• Redesigning for reuse, refill and recycling
• Reducing microplastic pollution
• Driving systemic change through policies like extended producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit return systems (DRS)
• Supporting plastic pollution and marine debris cleanup efforts