Zero Waste in RI

Fighting plastic pollution at its source

Single-use plastics are polluting our environment, littering our waterways, and piling up nationwide. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) estimates that the landfill in Rhode Island will reach capacity by 2040. To extend its lifespan and protect our environment, we have to reduce the volume of waste that we create.  

The public is becoming more aware of the problems with plastic waste and single-use disposable items, and people are making the switch to reusable products. This doesn’t work for the petrochemical lobby who profit off of our addiction to single-use disposable plastic. That’s why they are pushing so-called “chemical recycling” facilities: to try to scam us into believing that plastic can be reused. But these facilities don’t work at scale in the real world, so the product they create is often just burned as a fossil fuel. Worse, not only are these facilities failing at recycling plastic, they are polluting their neighboring communities.

We need real solutions to our waste problem! Right now, Clean Water Action is advocating for a container deposit law - also known as a “bottle bill” - for Rhode Island to capture one of the biggest waste streams: single-use beverage containers. Learn more about bottle bills, and take action!

Clean Water Action’s award-winning ReThink Disposable program is now in Rhode Island! ReThink Disposable works with local jurisdictions, businesses, and consumers of take-out food packaging (almost everyone these days) to inspire a cultural shift away from the single-use disposable items. Are you a RI restaurant owner looking to replace disposable dining items with durable reusables? We can help!