💝2025 Wrapped: a BIG Year for the Beyond Plastics Network 📈
As we close out the year, the Beyond Plastics Network of grassroots groups, local partners, organizers, and community leaders has generated extraordinary momentum for the movement to reduce single-use plastics. From engaging restaurants, doing on-the-ground education, making legislative progress, building coalitions, and advancing youth leadership, the breadth and depth of this work demonstrate what collective action can achieve. Below is a snapshot of 2025’s rockstar highlights and the powerful groundwork these organizations are laying to make even more progress in 2026.
✨SPOTLIGHT ON RESTAURANTS & REUSE 🍽️
Grassroots groups across the country are continuing to pass local “Skip the Stuff” laws (or voluntary commitments in states with preemption laws), promote reusable container systems, and educate restaurants that reductions in single-use items offer a win for the business with cost savings, a win for the consumer to reduce the risk of toxic chemicals leaching into their food or beverage, and a win for the environment.
As part of a statewide coalition with Clean Water Action (CWA) and other local or state partners, the Beyond Plastics NJ team advocated for the passage of 30 municipal Skip the Stuff ordinances and bans, advancing upstream solutions across the state. Check out this map from CWA detailing single-use reduction policies, including Skip the Stuff, across New Jersey.
Cleveland Heights Green Team, OH
Earlier this year, the Cleveland Heights Green Team launched a three-month Skip the Stuff pilot to be followed by a community survey with results expected this coming February 2026. This effort caught the attention of their local news outlet who did a story about the pilot.
Click the image above to open a new window and watch the video.
The team is developing a comprehensive, replicable Single-Use Plastics Reduction Blueprint for other municipalities—covering restaurant engagement, measurement, messaging, and implementation tools. Throughout the year they collaborated closely with the Cleveland Heights Climate and Environmental Sustainability Committee (CESC) on their priority actions.
The team also filmed The GreenPrint, a documentary exploring community power and the intersection of environmental and social justice. Screenings have been done in schools with future public screenings in 2026.
Beyond Plastics Indiana
Beyond Plastics Indiana is working on advancing education and outreach on reuse systems, including engagement with Purdue’s Office of Sustainability while exploring a Skip the Stuff campaign.
Beyond Plastics Louisville, KY
Beyond Plastics Louisville created a scorecard and plastic reduction inventory form for use in restaurants. They also ran a letter-writing campaign urging Kroger to fulfill its 2025 reusable packaging commitment, submitting the letter signed by 300 residents.
Beyond Plastics Madison, WI
The Madison group’s active campaigns this year include single-use plastic reduction in restaurants, STS enforcement.
Beyond Plastics Palm Desert, CA
Beyond Plastics Palm Desert is focused on the important enforcement of the California statewide Skip the Stuff law.
FOCO Trash Mob, Fort Collins, CO
FoCo Trash mob joined the UK-based Party Kit Network, enabling community access to reusable dishware and event items to eliminate disposable products at gatherings.
✨ SPOTLIGHT ON EDUCATION & COMMUNITY OUTREACH 🍎
Education is a cornerstone of local action for groups in the Beyond Plastics Network. Many invested in creating new websites, offering public programming, and forging partnerships with schools to expand awareness and community engagement.
Beyond Plastics MoCo, MD
Beyond Plastics MoCo launched a new website and continued its outreach to the community to raise awareness of and preparation for Montgomery County’s Bring-Your-Own-Bag bill which will go into effect on January 1, 2026!
Beyond Plastics Rockland, NY
As a new local group, Beyond Plastics Rockland is in the process of building a website. The group is also engaging residents through tabling and recurring meetings, and hosting screenings of We Are All Plastic People Now.
Beyond Plastics Central Oklahoma
Beyond Plastics Central Oklahoma is delivering educational campaigns across libraries, museums, and schools, including film screenings and science-center displays.
Beyond Plastics Puget Sound, WA
Beyond Plastics Puget Sound has joined forces with Puget Sound Natural Estuary Program’s Stormwater Strategic Initiative to develop a regional microplastic pollution strategy through a series of workshops with leading researchers and experts who can share and discuss the latest science.
Climate Crisis Working Group of Moore County, NC
CCWG launched Better Earth Business, distributing “leave-behind” cards that encourage businesses to reduce plastic use.
ECHO Systems, Philadelphia, PA
ECHO Systems was awarded a $101,000 EPA Region 3 Thriving Communities grant to expand Philly Unwrapped, a citywide waste-reduction and reuse initiative supporting local businesses and communities. This funding will help Philly shift away from single-use waste, build stronger reuse infrastructure and pilot new circular systems across neighborhoods. This marks a significant milestone in advancing local environmental justice and reducing the city’s dependence on disposal based methods. Congrats!
✨ SPOTLIGHT ON COALITION-BUILDING 🤝
Collective action is the bedrock of the grassroots movement to reduce plastic pollution. Our local groups and affiliates have strengthened relationships and increased collaboration across regions by partnering with other advocacy organizations, faith communities, and environmental justice coalitions.
Beyond Plastics Greater Mankato Area, MN
Beyond Plastics Greater Mankato Area is partnering with Isaiah, a state-wide, multiracial group of faith communities, Black barbershops, childcare centers, and more who are fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota. This coalition helped secure the inclusion of plastic waste reduction in Southern Minnesota’s 2026 local legislative platform.
Missouri River Bird Observatory, MO
After partnering with Streams Teams United to support the formation of new Beyond Plastics groups as part of their plastics reduction strategy, MRBO was excited to announce the launch of the first new local group in the region, Beyond Plastics Ozark!
✨SPOTLIGHT ON MICROPLASTIC PREVENTION 🛑
Beyond Plastics NJ, Surfrider NJ Chapter and partners at the NJLM conference.
Beyond Plastics New Jersey
This group, including Beyond Plastics Advisory Board member and former New Jersey reporter for NBC NY, Brian Thompson, has been diligently working with local partners to pass ordinance to prevent microplastic contamination in construction dust. In November they celebrated the unanimous passage of a League of Municipalities Resolution on Construction Dust Containment, urging all municipalities and the state legislature to pass laws that would control the release of construction sawdust made out of plastic at contractor worksites. If you’d like to consider urging your town, city, or county to pass a similar ordinance, you may find it helpful to have the copy for the ordinance to work from. You can download a copy of the ordinance here.
✨SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH PARTNERSHIPS 🌻
Youth engagement is an important part of any campaign. Below are a few ways groups in the Network are working to include young people in their efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
Missouri River Bird Observatory, MO
Staff member Stori Smith is building a toolkit for high school students to support the reduction of plastics in schools.
Debris-Free Oceans, Miami, FL
This affiliates ongoing efforts include single-use plastics reduction in restaurants, Plastic Free Miami 305, and robust youth leadership training. Debris-Free Oceans has:
Mobilized 12,000 volunteers
Educated 14,200+ students
Helped enroll 88 businesses in Plastic Free Miami 305
Partnered with Ocean Conservancy and Big Blue + You on high-school “junior sustainability consultant” training, directly supporting Miami-Dade’s Plastic Free Cities initiative.
Seaside Sustainability, Gloucester, MA
Seaside Sustainability takes action through educational opportunities to help shape the minds of youth in hopes for a sustainable and clean future. The organization is transitioning to primarily focusing on plastics and has launched the following major programs for 2026:
Clean Shores: a small, golfcart-sized machine sifts 90% of all macro debris from beaches. This is a first in the northeast with 30,000+ pieces of debris destined for the ocean removed from beaches.
End of Life & Fishing For Energy: a free, easy way to dispose of Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear gear with 400+ tons collected, reducing potential ocean debris. This is significant as 10% of all ocean plastic comes from fishing gear, with 640,000+ tons entering our oceans each year.
Marine Debris Art: local artists produce eclectic artwork to raise awareness about ocean pollution and human impacts. Seaside Sustainability Founder and Executive Director Eric Magers also founded the National Stem Honor Society for youth.
✨SPOTLIGHT ON LEGAL & SITE FIGHTS ⚖️
How do we stop the expansion of polluting plastics facilities? Through legal and community-based resistance!
Beyond Plastics Appalachia Director Jess Conard tabling with her son and SOBE advocate Lynn Anderson.
SOBE Concerned Citizens, Youngstown, OH
In Youngstown, Ohio, community leaders, supportive grassroots advocates, and local council members have been working together to protect the community by opposing the false solution of so-called “chemical recycling.” They achieved a huge community win when the state of Ohio ordered SOBE Thermal Energy into receivership. This decision places the facility under state oversight, with a court-appointed receiver tasked with returning or selling the property. Essential services are expected to transfer to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). Read more from a past newsletter write-up here.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper, Pittsburgh, PA
Three Rivers Waterkeeper was part of a major legal victory in September with the settlement of a significant plastic-pollution lawsuit against Styropek USA. The agreement will reduce plastic pollution, set precedent for other facilities, and dedicate over $2 million to Ohio River watershed restoration.
📆 WHAT’S NEXT? LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026 & BEYOND 🔭
With new pilots, legislative opportunities, coalition partnerships, and youth programs already underway for 2026, the Beyond Plastics Network is well-positioned to accelerate the shift away from single-use plastics. We applaud all of their outstanding accomplishments this year, reflective of our growing national movement— where local action consistently drives systemic change. 👏👏👏
Click here to learn more about the Beyond Plastics Network and consider joining us!
The Beyond Plastics Network consists of five volunteer groups which include Local Groups, Affiliates, Advocates & Organizers, Speakers Bureau, and Community Partners. The network is designed as an on-ramp to action, making it easier for people to get involved in ways that align with their interests, skills, and capacity. We appreciate your support! 🙏
