First held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The official theme for 2024 is "Planet vs. Plastics."

Plastic pollution is a global issue that destroys environments, diminishes biodiversity, increases global warming, and harbors immense potential to impact human health.

"Plastic isn’t the worst environmental enemy, and in some cases the use of plastic provides benefits compared to other materials," Erin Anderson, who heads the waste reduction program at PDX, said. "Reduced weight during shipping results in less fuel consumption and any negative impacts from plastic food packaging are quickly surpassed by the benefits of preventing food waste. The real environmental enemy is the growing dependence on single-use plastics instead of the slightly-less convenient option."

There are many ways each of us can reduce and responsibly use plastic in our daily lives. Here are a few ideas to change your personal plastic use and reduce your environmental impact.

1. Carry a reusable bag.

Did you know we use FOUR TRILLION plastic bags each year worldwide? Plastic grocery bags aren’t recyclable. In fact, plastic bags are detrimental to recycling facilities because they get caught in machinery and slow or even halt the recycling process.

If you’re looking for a place to recycle plastic bags, check at your local grocery store or for community collection programs with Trex. Unfortunately we had to suspend the HQ plastic bag recycling on the first floor by the freight elevator when our recycling facility restricted the types of plastic they accept.

2. Bring your own reusable eating utensils, water bottle and coffee cup.

In the United States, more than 100 million plastic utensils are used every day and single-use utensils can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Even more shocking, every second of every day in the U.S., 1,000 people buy and open a plastic bottle of commercially produced water and, every second of every day, 1,000 plastic bottles are thrown away.

The City of Portland’s ”single-use plastics by request” policy prevents local businesses from automatically including plastic straws, stirrers, utensils, or individually packaged condiments in a customer’s order for dine-in, drive-through, take-out, or delivery. These items can only be provided upon customer request.

3. Reject fast fashion and wear your clothes longer.

Did you know 60% of material made into clothing is plastic, which includes polyester, acrylic and nylon textiles? Because of the low quality of many fast fashion items, many end up in landfills. Americans throw away more than 32 billion pounds of textiles a year!

Making clothing also uses up important resources: It can take 1,500 gallons of water to manufacture just one t-shirt and pair of jeans – that’s how much water you’ll drink in 13 years. Extending clothing life by just three months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by up to 10%.

4. Participate in a local cleanup event.

SOLVE restores and preserves Oregon’s environment by mobilizing the power of volunteers. Across the state, they bring diverse communities together to improve the health and safety of our neighborhoods and natural areas including our coast, rivers, parks, and forests by implementing litter cleanups. Find a local cleanup event on their website.

5. Reuse, reduce, recycle.

Recycling is often at the center of conversations around conservation and sustainability. But there are a lot of myths surrounding the recycling process, which may lead you to believe you’re making a bigger positive impact on the environment than you really are. Read through the below myths and learn why reusing and reducing should be your first choice in sustainable alternatives:

Myth 1: If you dispose of recyclables properly, they will be recycled.

It’s not uncommon for items placed in recycling bins to end up directly in garbage trucks, making many recycling bins a mirage. One way to combat this issue is by making conscious buying decisions. Consider checking for credible eco-labels while shopping, such as Energy Star logos on appliances or the Fair-Trade certifications on coffee or chocolate. Also look for brands that use recycled materials in their products such as Green Toys. You can also check with your local garbage and recycling center to see what can be recycled.

Myth 2: Recycling is the best thing you can do to fight against climate change.

According to research at the University of Leeds, recycling ranked low on a list of effective actions that an individual could take to fight climate change. Higher-ranked actions included living car-free, avoiding long-haul air travel and reducing consumption of red meat.

Myth 3: “Reduce,” “reuse,” and “recycle” are equally beneficial.

Fundamentally, recycling isn’t as beneficial as reduction and reuse. Plastics can only be recycled a finite number of times due to structural and composition breakdowns during the recycling process. You can make a positive impact by choosing products made with recyclable plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) found in beverage bottles or High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) used for jugs and detergent bottles. “Trash bags and dog poop bags are easy wins," Erin Anderson shared. "If you can find products that uses less plastic in the first place or use recycled content you can reduce your plastic use."

Myth 4: Anyone can recycle.

Low-income and minority communities often lack recycling infrastructure. Additionally, environmental advocacy in these communities may be directed toward bigger issues, like ensuring oil pipelines are not being built straight through their land.