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The Global Plastic Laws Database is the most extensive tool to date to research, track, and visualize plastic legislation that has been passed around the world. The Database tracks legislation across the full life cycle of plastics and organizes these policies according to life cycle categories and key topics. Adopting policies to reduce plastic pollution on a global scale is widely recognized as a vital step to address this crisis and its associated detrimental impacts on our communities, health, and environment.

Recognizing the impacts of plastics throughout its full life cycle, this database is organized into nine topics: Design and Reuse, Extended Producer Responsibility, Maritime Sources, Microplastics, Production and Manufacturing, Reduction, Transparency and Traceability, Waste Management, and Waste Trade.

The Global Plastic Laws Database is updated regularly, providing a way to monitor and identify emerging trends, solutions, and policy innovations at local, national, and international levels.

Access the database here

Do you think it is possible to live a life without plastic? Wondering how to do it or at least get started? This is a great list of practical steps you can take to begin your plastic-free journey. The list is not meant to be overwhelming but simply to show what is possible. Choose a few that seem doable and that will make the most impact. No one can do it all at once. But we can all get started!

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Goverments play a critical role in moving the world to a no-waste system when companies are not otherwise motivated to change their ways. Policies governing the use of plastics are the most effective way to address the problem, and they are becoming more common from the municipal to the national level. Many counties, states and cities are banning or otherwise regulating the use of plastic. These policies often focus on the most common waste items found in worldwide beach cleanups: utensils, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic grocery bags, other plastic bags, straws/stirrers, plastic containers, plastic lids and foam takeout containers. Since all of these items are used once and then thrown away, a logical starting point is to target single-use plastic items.

The Policy Solutions Fact Sheet explains the importance of policy as a way to reduce plastic waste, and provides examples of places where legislation has been successful in reducing the use of plastic.

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Global Plastic Laws Database

To Stop Plastic Pollution