plastic free Archives

Header photo by Jen Fela

Celebrate love this Valentine’s Day — without all the plastic. While we’re all for a holiday celebrating love, we’re not in love with the rise of single-use plastic and consumerism that has almost come to define Valentine’s Day. With all the candy wrappers and plastic packaging for flowers, synthetic stuffed animals, and other wasteful gifts that pile up on this holiday alone, many people are looking for ways to celebrate love that’s better for people and our Earth.

As it turns out, there are plenty of plastic-free gift ideas and ways to celebrate love that do not compromise on creativity or thoughtfulness. Whether it’s for a friend, partner, pet, or yourself, we are excited to share more sustainable suggestions.

Plastic-Free Gift Ideas for Any of Your Loved Ones

Here are some gift ideas for friends and loved ones that are both meaningful and sustainable:

Give experiences over things: Consider gifting an experience like a movie night at home, painting and wine night, pottery class, or even a camping trip. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can coordinate a homemade dinner along with the movie of your choice (like making heart-shaped pizzas together for Mystic Pizza night, for example). Pairing whatever experience you choose with handmade paper or even a wooden card or “coupon” for a fun experience can be the icing on the cake.

Bake homemade goodies: Bake treats like brownies, cinnamon rolls, cookies, or cupcakes, and wrap them in reusable fabric or parchment paper. You can also gift them in a reusable metal tin or large glass jar instead of single-use aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Serve your goodies on a reusable ceramic, glass, or metal platter.

Gift (or make your own) handmade jewelry: Support artists by buying handmade, sustainable jewelry made from natural materials like metals, stones, or wood that are ethically sourced. You can find plastic-free pieces from artisans on platforms like Etsy or at local craft markets. If you’re crafty, doing your own metal stamping and jewelry crafting will allow you to make customized bracelets and rings—without using plastic. Wrap jewelry in cotton or linen cloth scraps made from sample fabrics or upcycled clothing you no longer wear, and tie them into bags with natural twine.

Make jars of homemade self-care supplies or tasty foods: You can make small jars of homemade granola, honey, or jam, or take it to the next level by making your own simple skincare supplies using natural ingredients like aloe, beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter. Reuse glass jars, stainless steel, or tin containers you already have on hand, or find these at low cost at secondhand or swap shops to store your goodies.

Upcycled or vintage items: Instead of buying new gifts, why not find an “already loved” secondhand or vintage item to give instead? Whether it’s a piece of artwork or a unique jewelry holder, these items carry their own character and history and are usually not packaged in plastic packaging. And you can tell your friend the story of how you found it and thought of them.

Donate in honor of a loved one: A donation to an important cause is a great way to show you care. You can donate to Plastic Pollution Coalition in honor of a loved one and they’ll receive an email letting them know you did.

Plastic-Free Gifts for the Green Thumb

Flowers are a classic Valentine’s Day gift, but most store-bought bouquets come with multiple toxic burdens—unless locally and organically grown—they are often grown with pesticides to be shipped long distances and sold wrapped in plastic. Look for sustainably sourced flowers that have minimal packaging, or better yet, choose a plant (or propagate your own) that can be kept and grown by your loved one. Some choices include:

Foraging for wildflowers: If in season, and you have a backyard that grows wildflowers or live near an area where you can pick a bundle legally, wildflowers can be a lovely way to show someone you were thinking of them.

Locally and organically grown flowers: If you opt for a fresh flower bouquet, try to scope things out ahead of time and find a local flower farm that uses sustainable, pesticide-free growing practices. They’re less likely to come wrapped in plastic and often have biodegradable packaging—like banana leaves or paper.

Potted plants: Cacti, herbs, or succulents can last for years (if cared for properly) and won’t be thrown away after a week or so, unlike fresh flowers.

Propagate: If you have your own plants and can propagate them, giving a custom propagation (or two) planted in a pot is a thoughtful gift. Most of your friends will love this one, especially if you make a fun custom care “manual” for their new plant friend.

Plastic-Free Gifts for Your Pets

Who says pets can’t have a little fun too? They’re often the ones who give us the most love day-to-day. If you’re single or just want to make sure your furry friend feels a little extra love around the holiday, we’ve got you covered.

Eco-friendly toys + handmade gifts: Look for toys made from natural materials like hemp, organic cotton, or wool. Some brands sell chew toys made from plant-based materials like coffee wood. You can also make pet toys from items you already have, like old cotton t-shirts braided into ropes for dogs or cardboard boxes for a cat’s playhouse. If your pet doesn’t mind wearing accessories, you could make or buy a handmade plastic-free fabric bandana for them.

Homemade treats: Make your own healthy pet treats using natural ingredients that are not packaged in plastic. You can find simple recipes online that require things like peanut butter, pumpkin, and oats. You can even make cupcakes for your pet (like dog-friendly peanut butter pupcakes).

Nature walk or hike: Take your pet for a special stroll in the park or go on a nature hike together and pack a picnic for both of you. If you live near a pet-friendly beach or park, plan an outing to let your pet socialize while getting outside.

Plastic-Free Gifts for Your Sweetheart

Create a love jar: A “love jar” is inexpensive, yet packs an emotional punch (and is plastic-free)! This can be a glass jar filled with small notes folded up on strips of paper where you write short love notes, poems, or future date ideas on recycled paper. When you’re feeling loving, write them down, fold them up, and put them in the jar. This can also simply be a compliment jar, where you fill it with all of your favorite things about that person and your memories together.

DIY Valentine’s Day card: Instead of buying a card with plastic finishes or embellishments, why not make your own out of sustainable materials? You can use recycled paper, old magazines, cardboard, fabric scraps, pressed flowers, or even wood to create something that feels truly customized to your partner.

Eco-friendly candles: Candles set the romantic lighting mood with low lighting, but many conventional candles are made with petroleum-based paraffin wax and come in plastic packaging. Opt for candles made from beeswax, plant-based materials, or soy wax that are scented with natural oils. These are biodegradable and often come in glass or metal containers that can be reused or truly recycled.

Plastic-free dinner date: Restaurants are always crowded on Valentine’s Day, so why not plan a special one-on-one dinner for your significant other? You can make it plastic-free by:

Cooking at home: Choose local, organic ingredients to prepare a home-cooked meal. Cooking together can also be a fun experience, especially if you offer to make your partner’s favorite dish.
Choosing reusable dinnerware: You can always pack up your dinner and enjoy the sunset at a local park. If you’re planning a romantic picnic, avoid single-use plates, cups, and utensils. Go for reusable options like bamboo or ceramic plates, cloth napkins, and stainless steel cutlery and drink bottles.

Decorating with edible or dried flowers: Instead of buying fresh flowers, create an edible flower garnish or a bouquet made of dried flowers. Twine and greenery (e.g., a eucalyptus sprig) is a nice touch, or you can buy a few individual roses that aren’t packaged in plastic and spread the petals.

Plastic-Free Ways to Show Love to People & the Planet

This Valentine’s Day, you can choose to celebrate love by gifting sustainably without plastic. Want to make a difference all year round? Take the pledge to refuse single-use plastic. You can also donate to Plastic Pollution Coalition to show some love to our team and help support the work we do every day toward a better world for us all.

Donate

Microplastics and plastic chemicals are constantly in the news and for good reason: There’s growing evidence that plastics, plastic particles, and plastic chemicals can harm our bodies. If you’re looking to make simple swaps to reduce plastics to better protect your health, eliminating plastic in your kitchen is a great place to start.

Plastics are commonly used in kitchens, from plastic cutting boards, foodware, single-use coffee pods, sponges, storage containers, Teflon-coated cookware, utensils, and more. And these plastic items shed microplastics and contain thousands of chemicals that can leach into food and drinks, air and water, and our bodies.

Our kitchens should be a space for cooking, creativity, and connection, not a source of toxic exposure. The good news is that countless nontoxic and plastic-free options for cooking, cleaning, and storing food are accessible, affordable, and often DIY. Read on to find practical steps to help you kick plastic out of your kitchen and discover safer, plastic-free alternatives that are better for you, your family, and the planet.

Brew Plastic-Free Coffee & Tea

Brew your morning cup with fewer microplastics. “Convenient” hot beverages served in single-use takeout cups or brewed in single-serve plastic coffee pods can contain thousands to millions of plastic particles. Instead, opt for reusable stainless steel pods or plastic-free brewing options like ceramic, glass, or stainless steel French presses and pour-over systems.

And while many tea bags look like paper, most are made of plastic. Scientists have found that a single tea bag can release billions of microplastics into one cup of tea. Instead of tea bags, choose loose-leaf tea and steep it with ceramic or stainless steel strainers; use glass, ceramic, or stainless steel kettles or teapots; and try reusable organic linen tea bags.If on the go, bring your plastic-free reusable cup or thermos to avoid the microplastics released in single-use paper cups lined with plastic. Learn more about cutting plastic out of your morning brew here.

Choose Safer Drinking Water

Serve and store drinking water in ceramic, glass, or stainless steel vessels instead of plastic.

Bottled water is a plastic problem. Plastic bottled water isn’t just far more expensive than tap water, it also leaches toxic chemicals such as antimony, lead, and BPA, along with microplastics, into the water you drink—especially when exposed to heat and sunlight. And despite common myths about its purity, roughly two-thirds of bottled water in the U.S. is simply repackaged tap water that is less federally regulated than tap water.

If you’re concerned about potential contaminants in your tap water, like lead or PFAS, start by checking the EWG Tap Water Database and contacting your local water authority for up-to-date information. Using a water filter that’s certified to remove the contaminants found in your area is a much safer and more affordable option than relying on plastic bottled water. Read more about using certified water filters to ensure safe drinking water here.

Clean With Less Plastic

Cleaning is another area where plastic hides in plain sight: from plastic sponges and dish brushes to PVA dishwasher pods and plastic spray bottles.

When you scrub with a synthetic sponge, it sheds microplastics that stick to your dishware and wash down the drain along with your wastewater. Luckily, there are plenty of plastic-free alternatives, many of them DIY, affordable, or widely available to purchase. Opt for plant-based sponges and dishcloths like Blueland’s pop-up sponge or the Zero Waste Store’s cellulose sponges or bamboo dish brush. Blueland and Meliora Cleaning Products offer a variety of plastic-free cleaning options from dishwasher tablets to refillable cleaning spray tablets that can be easily popped into glass bottles.

Read more on how to clean plastic-free with better brands and DIY cleaning solutions here.

Don’t Microwave or Heat Plastics

Don’t microwave or heat plastic. Heating food or drinks in plastic accelerates leaching of harmful chemicals, including BPA and phthalates. And plastic containers and packaging (even if labeled microwave-safe) can shed millions to billions of microplastics and nanoplastics when heated. Avoid storing hot food directly in plastic containers or plastic wrap.

For infants and younger children, avoid heating breast milk or formula in plastic. Research suggests that babies fed formula in plastic bottles are exposed to high levels of microplastics. Heat (and ideally, store and serve) formula or milk in glass or stainless steel if possible.

Opt for Non-toxic Cookware

Nonstick cookware made with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)—best known under the brand name Teflon—can release microplastics, hazardous fumes, and toxic chemicals, especially when heated, scratched, or worn down. PTFE is a type of PFAS, a class of manufactured “forever chemicals” linked to serious health risks. Scientists estimate that Teflon-coated pans can shed thousands to millions of microplastics during regular use.

PFAS chemicals build up in the human body, including in the brain, and have been associated with decreased fertility, low birth weight, immune system impacts, and increased cancer risks. While five U.S. states have already banned PFAS in cookware, you can reduce your exposure immediately by choosing safer alternatives such as carbon steel, ceramic, glass, stainless steel, or cast iron. With proper care, some plastic-free cookware can last decades to a lifetime, unlike PFAS-coated pans, which often end up in the trash after only a few years once their nonstick coating degrades.

Refill, Reuse, Repeat

Embrace plastic-free principles today. There are many simple ways to cut down on everyday plastic use. Bring reusable tote bags to the store; choose reusable cloth produce bags instead of single-use plastic ones; skip plastic straws and cutlery when you don’t need them (or carry your own reusable set); and opt for reusable ceramic, glass, or stainless steel bottles when on the go.

You may have seen unnecessary plastic covering produce, from tomatoes to bananas. Buying in bulk, favoring products in glass or paper, and choosing products with minimal plastic packaging are all ways to help. And if you have one nearby, local refill and reuse stores make it even easier to stock up without the unnecessary packaging pollution.

Swap in Plastic-Free Utensils

Photos by Ann Luskey as she swapped out her plastic kitchen utensils for non-toxic ones

Chopping foods on a plastic cutting board and sautéing them with a plastic spatula may feel harmless, but both are significant sources of microplastic and chemical exposure in our diets. Every cut, scrape, and stir can shed tiny plastic particles or release harmful chemicals that end up in your food. Experts have also flagged black plastic kitchen tools as particularly concerning for our health, as they may contain higher levels of unregulated toxic chemicals, including flame retardants and heavy metals.

Replace plastic spatulas, stirring spoons, and other utensils with those made of safer materials, such as wood, bamboo, and stainless steel. And silicone is not necessarily the best alternative to plastic. Despite its “safer” reputation, silicone can still leach chemicals and shed microplastics, and contribute to plastic pollution. So try to avoid or limit your use of it and other plastics in your kitchen.

Store Your Food In Bamboo, Glass, or Metal

Plastic food storage bags, containers, and wraps can leach both plastic particles and chemicals into your food, especially when heated, but also during storage and serving.

Stock your kitchen with glass or stainless steel containers as well as beeswax wraps to store leftovers, prepped meals, and produce. One easy and inexpensive way to begin your swap is by washing and saving glass jars from pasta sauces, pickles, or other jarred foods. They make great ready-to-use storage containers. Or invest over time in stackable glass food storage containers. Glass is infinitely recyclable when it is no longer reusable. Other storage materials include bamboo, ceramic, cloth, stainless steel, and paper.

Choose lead-free ceramic or glass plates, stainless steel tiffins, or other plastic-free containers for serving food. For children, Plastic Pollution Coalition Business Member Ahimsa offers stainless steel toddler and child plates, food containers, utensils, and sets for plastic-free mealtimes.

Take Action

Go beyond the kitchen and take steps to eliminate plastic pollution in your home, school, restaurant, workplace, or on-the-go; and during pregnancy and parenting. Check out Plastic Pollution Coalition’s Guides page for tips on how to navigate your world with less plastic.

View our guides

In honor of this year’s Plastic Free July theme, “small steps, big difference,” we’ve compiled 5 ways for you to take action this month to help stop plastic pollution.

Since its inception in 2011, Plastic Free July has helped millions of people choose to refuse single-use plastics by providing resources and ideas about how to avoid plastic at home, work, school, and throughout the community. Whether you’ve already started eliminating plastic from your life and supporting the wider systems change needed to address this crisis, or are just getting started, Plastic Free July is a great time of year to double down on your efforts.

1. Choose Reuse Over Single-Use

One of the simplest ways to decrease plastic pollution is to embrace plastic-free reuse. Because they are rapidly used and discarded, single-use plastics (e.g., bags, bottled beverages, cutlery and straws, and food containers) are seriously wasteful and need to be purchased over and over again. With reusables, you just need one (or a few) of each item, and these can last you years if not the rest of your life. Using less single-use plastic saves you money, too. You can vastly reduce the amount of single-use plastic in your life by simply equipping yourself with the following plastic-free reusable items:

A bamboo, glass, or stainless steel straw
A few canvas tote bags, or natural woven basket
One ceramic, glass, or stainless steel water bottle
One ceramic or stainless steel hot beverage container
One set of bamboo or stainless steel cutlery
Several bamboo, glass, or stainless steel food containers

If you’re frequently traveling, use reusables to make an Urban Pack Kit to reduce your use of plastic while on the road. And be sure to bring your reusables with you when you’re heading out to your favorite food and drink establishments. Bring reusable cups and straws for beverages, and containers for leftovers and takeout. More eateries including popular boba tea shops are allowing reuse—and if they are not yet, you can encourage them to do so (see below).

2. Tell Your Favorite Businesses to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic

If your favorite businesses have not yet made efforts to reduce or eliminate their use of single-use plastic, Plastic Free July is the perfect time to encourage them to take action.

When you encounter a business that sells products wrapped in plastic packaging and/or during shipping, you can use this template to ask them to use healthier plastic-free alternatives.

Use the Template

If you are visiting a food or beverage establishment and find that they are still using plastic, you can:

Leave The Last Plastic Straw tip card with your bill requesting the eatery serves straws upon request only
Share the Plastic-Free Eateries page with step-by-step instructions, resources, and other support for eliminating single-use plastic at eateries with real solutions
Share this blog post by Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Youth Ambassador Kareena Desai about “The Plot, a PPC Business Member that has eliminated both single-use plastic and waste of all kinds from its restaurant

3. Visit a Reuse and Refill Shop, or Plastic-Free Eatery

It’s encouraging to know that many businesses are already choosing to reduce or completely eliminate their usage of single-use plastic. Across the world, reuse and refill shops make it possible to buy cleaning supplies, dry goods, food, health and hygiene items, and much more from bulk bins while using your own plastic-free glass, stainless steel, wood, or ceramic containers—completely eliminating single-use plastic and packaging. Likewise, many food and beverage establishments have also tapped into reuse, refill, and other plastic-free principles that we know are real solutions to plastic pollution.

If you want to locate businesses that have already gone plastic-free, visit:

You’ll find that many food and beverage establishments and stores offer discounts for choosing reuse. Make sure you ask about discounts for bringing your own bags, cups, containers, and other reusable items when you’re out dining, grabbing a drink, or shopping.

4. Encourage Your School to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic

Depending on where you are in the world, school might be out for summer or in session. Yet it’s never too early or late in the educational year to begin strategizing how to encourage schools, universities, and other educational institutions to eliminate single-use plastic. Students, parents, educators, and community members are all essential in helping to transform schools from being places replete with plastic into plastic-free places for healthier learning that put less impact on people and the planet.

Plastics are harmful, especially to young people who are among the most vulnerable to the hormone-disrupting and toxic effects of plastic chemicals. Yet unfortunately, children, teens, and young adults are frequently exposed to plastics. This is especially true at schools, where plastic meal trays, snack and drink packaging, school supplies, and other plastic hazards can seem to be everywhere.

Thankfully, solutions exist today. Some Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Members are focused on helping schools go plastic-free. Since 2009, PPC Member Cafeteria Culture has been working to eliminate plastic from schools across the country. The organization has led the change in completely eliminating plastic foam food trays from all New York City public schools and in nine other large school districts across the U.S., preventing half a billion plastic foam trays from ending up in landfills, incinerators, the environment, and in students’ bodies each year. The organization continues to partner with New York City schools to implement reusables, eliminate single-use plastic, and educate and empower young people to advocate for solutions.

PPC Business Member Ahimsa has launched its Conscious Cafeteria Project, a 12-month pilot program in New York City to decarbonize 25 school cafeterias and improve students’ environmental health knowledge through its reusable stainless steel foodware model and new educational curriculum. Last year, Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, pediatrician and founder of Ahimsa, presented the project to the Clinton Global Initiative, where Dr. Chelsea Clinton expressed interest in developing a plastic-free cafeteria in her child’s school.

Find more in our list of Plastic-Free School Resources, which you can use to assist schools, universities, and other educational institutions in their plastic-free transformations—and also check out this blog post, which explains how best to use the resources.

You can also reach out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and tell its administrators to protect children’s health by banning plastic from school cafeterias.

Sign the Petition

5. Support Systems Change: Donate to PPC

Plastic pollutes at every stage of its existence. It is becoming more evident that plastic is harming not only our environment and the many creatures who call our beautiful planet home, but that plastic poisons people too. Individual actions can help shift our culture, but a wider systems shift is needed to end plastic pollution at the source. Thanks to supporters like you, we can continue to work with thousands of individuals, organizations, and businesses to stop this crisis—not just throughout July, but all year long.

Please consider supporting our work to educate, connect, and advocate for a more just, regenerative world free of plastic pollution. We truly appreciate whatever support you are able to give.

Donate

Looking for more?

Visit the Take Action section of the PPC website where you will find our pledge, petitions, guides, and events, including our upcoming webinar on July 18, Designing a Plastic-Free Future with Regenerative Materials.

And visit Plastic Free July’s website to find information, tips, events near you, and much more.

Learn more

July 31, 2024 , 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm America/Los_Angeles

Join the Ecology Center for a fun and educational Plastic Free July Trivia Night at the Ecology Center Store and Resource Center! Test your knowledge of the harms of plastics and petrochemicals in a lively quiz night. Come with friends (teams are limited to 6 players) or make new ones while learning about the plastics crisis and ongoing solutions. Let’s have a blast while raising awareness about plastic waste. See you there! $10-$25 per teammate, pay what you can. Small bites and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.

Location: Ecology Center Store, 2530 San Pablo Avenue Suite H Berkeley, CA 94702

Learn more and get your tickets here

Related Events

Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Members come from a wide range of sectors and are aligned in their mission to build a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on communities and ecosystems around the world. The Coalition Spotlight is our monthly blog to uplift and showcase their work, giving our readers an inside look at some of these influential change-makers. For August, we are featuring PPC Business and Organization Members with programs or products designed to prepare students, parents, guardians, and teachers to go back to school plastic-free for a healthier year ahead.

Ahimsa

With kids in many parts of the world going back to school this month, parents and teachers are doing their best to set them up for success. When it comes to school meals, students can bring their food from home, and buy or receive from school. Unfortunately these meal options are often associated with lots of chemical-laden single-use plastic—from one-serving plastic food packaging to throwaway plastic trays.

Children’s meals shouldn’t be filled with hazardous plastics. Ahimsa is a woman-founded and-owned company that makes sturdy, toxic-free, completely plastic-free, stainless steel foodware products for children. Not only are their dishes and meal sets safe, but they are intentionally designed to make it easy for parents to portion out healthy serving sizes, while engaging kids in a sensory mealtime experience since the dishes are made with bright colors. From sectioned “balanced bites” plates to their cafeteria line, Ahimsa products are third-party tested to ensure the highest standard of safety and effectiveness, and Ahima recently became the first MADE SAFE certified children’s foodware company.

Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, Ahimsa’s founder, is a board-certified pediatrician, a mom of three young kids, and a passionate advocate for children’s health and environmental sustainability. She is on a mission to empower parents, guardians, and teachers with evidence-based information and to help create a safer, kinder, and healthier future for all kids. She will be moderating Plastic Pollution Coalition’s upcoming August webinar, “Going Back to School Plastic-Free”, and is currently petitioning the USDA to pressure officials from the National School Lunch Program to move away from plastic to protect the long-term health of millions of children.

Beyond Plastics

Beyond Plastics is a U.S.-focused organization pairing the wisdom and experience of environmental policy experts with the energy and creativity of grassroots advocates to build an effective movement to end plastic pollution. Based at Bennington College, Vermont, Beyond Plastics works toward institutional, economic, legislative, and societal systemic change to prevent plastic pollution and its many harmful impacts. The organization was founded and is led by former Regional EPA Administrator under President Obama, Judith Enck, who brings a wealth of knowledge and policy experience.

Beyond Plastics acknowledges that ending plastic pollution requires change from everyone, from individual behavior changes to corporations taking responsibility to governments implementing effective policies. Beyond Plastics is also committed to environmental justice, supporting solutions that support communities impacted by injustice. To support change and engage communities and individuals, Beyond Plastics holds virtual grassroots organizing trainings, provides free, public resources about issues related to plastic pollution, and rallies for passage and implementation of more effective legislation.

The organization has now grown to encompass grassroots subchapters all across the country as part of their Beyond Plastics Local Groups and Affiliates program, launched in February 2022. This July, rePurpose of Washington state became the 100th group to join the Beyond Plastics grassroots network, and groups like theirs hosted events for Plastic-Free July that called attention to the hazards of plastic and the systemic reasons for the plastic pollution crisis. In addition to their July events, the national group has recently delivered a 27,600 signature petition to the EPA, calling for a ban on toxic vinyl chloride (a chemical which fueled this year’s toxic train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio).

Find out ways you can take action in your local community and engage with Beyond Plastics, or sign up to learn about plastic pollution in Judith’s fall class—which is open to the public through September and October 2023. If you are a parent or guardian doing back-to-school shopping this month, you may also want to check out Beyond Plastics’ Plastic-Free Back To School Guide!

Earth Guardians

During the back-to-school season we want to uplift the work that youth groups are doing to address the urgent and interconnected crises of plastic pollution and climate change. Earth Guardians are a global, youth-led organization that inspires, galvanizes and trains diverse youth to be effective leaders who advocate for environmental and climate justice. They do this by using art, music, storytelling, civic engagement, legal and direct action to advance solutions to the most challenging issues we face as a global community. Earth Guardians’ core staff is 80% Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) youth, and includes Emmy Scott, Earth Guardians’ newest and youngest executive director.

Operating from a bottom-up, decentralized model of distributed leadership, Earth Guardians empowers youth-led intergenerational groups, or Crews, from around the world. These localized chapters drive initiatives in their own communities, while contributing to the global Earth Guardians movement as a whole. By offering financial and educational support, leadership trainings, and a speakers bureau, the international team supports Crews’ grassroots efforts to put power and resources directly into the hands of frontline youth activists—especially those who come from historically underserved communities worst harmed by pollution, climate change, and injustice.

One of Earth Guardians’ major projects is the Choose Action Now (CAN) Campaign, meant to encourage youth leaders around the world to host events that call attention to the urgent need for climate action, in the wake of inaction from world leaders during COP. This global day of action inspired 70 events that took place during COP 27 in November of 2022 as part of a global day of action. You can find a long list of educational resources and one-pagers from Earth Guardians with project ideas that you can launch and lead in your local community here.

Wisdom Supply Co.

Back-to-school shopping can be daunting with so many school supplies typically made of or wrapped in single-use plastic. PPC Business Member Wisdom Supply Co. is a woman founded and run, certified B-Corp that is on a mission to change purchasing habits around school and office supplies, offering plastic-free, reusable, refillable, and nontoxic alternatives made from regenerative and truly recyclable materials.

From zero-waste planners to unlacquered colored pencils, Wisdom Supply is replacing toxic products made from and wrapped in plastic. In doing so, founders Heather Itzla and Nicole Kozlowski aim to disrupt what they call the “shelf-to-shore pipeline,” referring to the amount of pollution and subsequent environmental destruction created by plastic school and office supplies. These activists-turned-businesswomen are dedicated to scaling systems that prevent plastic school supplies, like vinyl binders and plastic pens, from entering the global waste stream. They also aim to change narratives behind status quo back-to-school shopping that are wasteful, health-threatening, and unnecessary for learning.

Heather will be discussing the importance of going back to school plastic-free, including the health implications of toxic school supplies in Plastic Pollution Coalition’s upcoming August webinar. In 2024, Wisdom Supply will be transitioning from a B-Corporation to a nonprofit organization to more effectively serve schools.

By Daniel Elbaz, PPC Intern

Like many teens, I love boba tea. The delicious drink has gained popularity with Gen Zers. Boba tea stores are practically our generation’s version of a fro-yo bar! So what is boba tea, where did it come from, and how did it get so popular?

Boba tea, or bubble tea, is made with a tea base, tapioca pearls (boba), brown sugar, condensed milk and sometimes fruit, served cold. This sweet drink was popularized in the early 1980s in Taiwan, where it was apparently invented by mixing tapioca balls, a Taiwanese dessert, with milk tea, which has long been consumed in Taiwan. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, boba tea became very popular across East Asia, especially in Taiwan and China. In the 1990s, bubble tea arrived in the United States via Taiwanese immigrants, first in California then spreading to the rest of the states.

Teens Love Boba Tea—But Not All the Plastic

Boba tea has become quickly popular because it’s a fun, colorful, and refreshing drink, with a unique combination of tastes and textures: earthy tea, creamy condensed milk, and chewy tapioca balls. Additionally, most boba tea shops offer countless flavor combinations to choose from, including different varieties of teas, boba, and fun toppings such as lychee jelly, oreo, or fresh fruit. The multitude of options allows everyone to customize their drinks to their tastes and preferences. Lastly, going to boba stores has become a trendy social activity because people enjoy trying new boba shops together with friends, family, and other boba enthusiasts.

The popularity of boba tea is huge—and still growing. By some estimates, there are around 3,600 boba shops in the United States. Worldwide, the bubble tea market size is valued around $2.75 billion (USD). This number is expected to continue to grow as it has over the past twenty years, and it is estimated that by 2030 the market size will almost double. If those numbers alone don’t prove that boba tea’s popularity has infected the globe, a survey has shown that 94 percent of people in their twenties have bought boba tea in the past three months.

However, whenever I feel like getting boba tea, I also feel a bit guilty. This is because these drinks almost always come in single-use plastic cups with plastic lids and plastic straws. The huge size of the boba tea market underscores the importance of reducing its plastic footprint.

One day I wondered: Could it be possible to enjoy boba tea without all the plastic? With some ideas in mind, I decided to explore more sustainable approaches for buying boba tea.

How to Drink Boba Tea Sustainably

Reuse is the key to plastic-free boba tea. Photo by Daniel Elbaz

My strategy for making plastic-free boba tea focused on reuse. First, I found a few large mason jars, and bought lids made with a boba-straw sized hole. Boba straws are wider than typical straws to accommodate the tapioca balls that give boba tea its name. Additionally, I purchased a pack of boba-sized stainless steel reusable straws. The combination of the mason jar, lid, and straw would substitute the single-use plastic cups, lids, and straws boba that tea shops typically distribute.

My next step was to take to the streets and search for boba shops in Los Angeles, California. When I found shops, I asked employees whether they could serve me their boba in my reusable cups. By the end of the process, I visited a total of twelve boba tea shops. Out of those twelve stores, only five of them agreed to serve their drinks to me in my reusable cups, while seven stores refused to serve me in anything but single-use plastic.

There seems to be a lack of consistent policies around accepting reusable cups at most of the boba shops. I called different locations of some of the biggest chains across the United States (such as Gong Cha, Kung Fu). These stores all seemed to have differing answers on whether they would accept reusable cups, which means that there is inconsistency even within chains. A number of shops also stated they would make the boba in a plastic cup, but they would pour the drink into my reusable cup, which obviously defeats the purpose of going reusable. (Note: In California, bill AB619 was passed in July 2019, which allows reusable food containers to be refilled by a food facility or a consumer.)

A pattern emerged among the bubble tea stores that served me in my reusable cups: they all initially mixed the drink in a reusable stainless steel or glass cup, then poured it into the cup they gave to customers. This means shops’ method of serving drinks is actually rather sustainable and could easily allow customers to bring their own cups.

Thank you to the five stores that allowed me to use reusable cups: Just Boba Tea House, Teaspoon, Volcano Tea, Ume Tea, and Redstraw Tea Bar. Teaspoon, Volcano Tea, and Ume Tea all sold their own reusable cups. Volcano Tea on Sawtelle Boulevard even upgraded the size of drink for free from a medium to a large for bringing a reusable cup. Find more reuse/refill shops, cafes, and eateries on these maps from Plastic Free Future and EcoRate.

Bring Your Own Cup and Help Create Change

Many boba tea shops are willing to fill up your reusables…you just have to ask. Photo by Daniel Elbaz

While many of the boba shops I visited or called seemed to be at a loss for how to serve me using a reusable cup, I witnessed that if customers demand plastic-free solutions, boba shops could easily accommodate reusables.

It’s easy to find reusable boba cups (I found reusable, plastic-free boba cups at various online and brick-and-mortar retailers). Please join me in visiting your local boba store with a reusable cup.

Plastic Pollution Coalition would love for boba shops that accept reusable cups from home, or sell their own reusable cups, to join their coalition. Please help our efforts by commenting with names of stores you know and love that engage in these plastic-free practices.

Ordering boba tea in reusable cups was an easy way for me to feel good instead of guilty about one of my favorite drinks. By joining me in this movement, you can fully enjoy your favorite boba tea too.

If you’re an employee or owner of a food or drink business, we encourage you to visit our Plastic Free Eateries page to find actionable steps, resources, and strategies for going plastic-free. Once you’ve taken action to eliminate plastics, please reach out to join our Coalition!

For individuals and organizations committed to ending plastic pollution:

Take the pledge

Celebrate Love This Valentine’s Day—Without All the Plastic