Dealing with our plastic deluge is one of the most serious environmental hazards humanity will face this century. Our ocean--source of most of the globe's oxygen and the integral component of our ecosystem--is under threat from plastic waste. In some of the most polluted areas of the Pacific, plastic already outweighs plankton by a factor of six! The vast majority of this ocean pollution--up to 90% of it--comes from litter in urban runoff.

The problem is only getting worse. Plastics are the fasted growing component of California's solid waste stream--production has doubled in the past 20 years and continues to expand. Furthermore, plastics essentially do not biodegrade. When littered, they become a permanent fixture of the environment, leaching toxins as they float through our watershed to the Ocean. Once in the marine environment, they slowly photodegrade into fine particles, polluting the food chain and eventually ending up back in our bodies.

Scientists are only beginning to grasp the profundity of the plastics problem. Already, biologists estimate that millions of birds and other marine species have died from starvation and poisoning by ingesting plastics. Plastics are particularly threatening to our dwindling population of sea turtles--nearly every single dead sea turtle autopsied by scientists has had plastics in its stomach. This deluge of plastics is affecting human health as well. Nearly all of us carry in our bodies chemicals present in plastics--raising alarming questions about the role plastics play in human health and diseases such as cancer and autism. Furthermore, plastics' production--made from highly-refined petroleum--is environmentally degrading and significantly contributes to greenhouse gases. Clearly it is time for a change. Reducing our use of single-use plastics and getting plastics out of our marine ecosystem is a central component of CAW's legislative agenda. Explore below to learn more about this issue and what you can do to help:

The Issues In Detail:

• Marine Debris Pollution

• Foamed Polystyrene (Styrofoam)

• Plastic Bags

• PVC Packaging

• Cal OPC Plastic Reduction Resolution

2008 Legislative Agenda:

• SB 1625 (Corbett): Codifies the #1 action of the California Ocean Protection Council's recommendations on marine debris by expanding California's model Container Recycling Law ("CRV") to include all plastic bottles.

• AB 904 (Feuer): Phases out the use of nonrecycled plastic takeout food packaging, which is a significant, dangerous and nonbiodegradable component of marine debris pollution, by requiring the use of recyclable or compostable food packaging.

• AB 2058 (Levine): Seeks to drastically reduce plastic bag litter by requiring diversion benchmarks for plastic bags; augments California's successful Plastic Bag Recycling Program (AB 2449 2006 Levine).

• AB 2505 (Brownley): Proposes to phase out the use of PVC plastic in consumer packaging. PVC is a human and environmental toxin that contains Lead, Cadmium and phthalates and also emits deadly dioxins when combusted. PVC is a potent contaminant in the plastics recycling stream.

What You Can Do:

• Join Our Plastic Waste Reduction Campaign Email List.

• Get involved with local ordinances to ban plastic bags and polystyrene.

• Learn about California's California's Bottle and Can ("CRV") Recycling Law, California's Plastic Bag Recycling ("AB 2449") Law, California's Rigid Plastic Packaging Law and California's Resin Identification Code Law.

• Consider a donation. CAW Foundation is 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that relies on small, individual contributions for the majority of its operating budget. Please consider a donation so that we can continue to advocate for the perspective of conservationists like you.

• Have more questions? Contact CAW's Plastic Waste Reduction Campaign Coordinator, Bryan Early.