Beyond Plastics Network Reaches 200 Local Groups and Affiliates Nationwide
Milestone Reflects Rapid Growth of Grassroots Activism as the Public Wants Stronger Local, State, and Federal Policies Reducing Plastic Production and Use
For Immediate Release: July 29, 2026
Contacts:
Melissa Valliant, Beyond Plastics — melissavalliant@bennington.edu, (410) 829-0726
Suzette Munley, Beyond Plastics — suzettemunley@bennington.edu, (215) 470-9005
Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics — judithenck@bennington.edu, (518) 605-1770
Beyond Plastics announced that its Beyond Plastics Network now includes 200 local groups and affiliates across the United States, a milestone for the 7-year-old group. As of July 23, Beyond Plastics Network spans 40 states and includes new grassroots groups and local groups affiliated with other organizations. They are united in working to reduce the production, use, and disposal of plastics.
The 200-member milestone reflects a surge of interest from communities confronting plastic pollution firsthand, from fenceline neighborhoods near petrochemical facilities to towns grappling with the failures of curbside plastics recycling promises.
“Every one of these 200 groups represents people in their own communities who refused to accept plastic pollution as inevitable — whether that's convincing a local restaurant to ditch plastic foam, testifying at a city council meeting, or organizing their neighbors around a statewide bill,” said Suzette Munley, Beyond Plastics’ national community engagement director. “That kind of grassroots power is exactly what it takes to shift how the United States produces and uses plastic, and hitting 200 groups shows how fast that movement is growing.”
Launched in 2022 — the very first group was Manhattan’s It’s Easy Being Green — the Beyond Plastics Network provides local groups with training, tools, and a national platform to organize around shared goals: reducing single-use plastic, holding corporations accountable for their pollution and false recycling claims, and advancing local and state legislation like the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act in New York state. Network members range from small volunteer-led groups to established environmental organizations, united by a commitment to grassroots, community-driven solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
“Reaching 200 Beyond Plastics local groups gives me hope that, together, we can raise awareness of plastic pollution’s health and environmental impacts and drive the legislative and corporate action needed to address it,” said Eileen Ryan, founder of Beyond Plastics Greater Boston, part of the Beyond Plastics Network. “We will only end plastic pollution through collective action — and organizing is also a wonderful way to stay sane, have fun, take field trips, and meet some truly wonderful people.”
"Beyond Plastics New Jersey, founded in 2023, was created to build grassroots support and amplify efforts to reduce plastic pollution. By leveraging Beyond Plastics' national research and resources, we have built the People Over Plastics coalition to advance municipal ordinances that pave the way for stronger statewide policies, including initiatives on Skip the Stuff, construction dust, and artificial turf," said Lois Krauss, co-founder of Beyond Plastics New Jersey, part of the Beyond Plastics Network.
To learn more about the Beyond Plastics Network and how local groups, campus organizations, and individual advocates can join, please visit: beyondplastics.org/local-groups-affiliates
About Beyond Plastics
Launched in 2019, Beyond Plastics pairs the wisdom and experience of environmental policy experts with the energy and creativity of grassroots advocates to build a vibrant and effective movement to end plastic pollution. Using deep policy and advocacy expertise, Beyond Plastics is building a well-informed, effective movement seeking to achieve the institutional, economic, and societal changes needed to save our planet and ourselves, from the negative health, climate, and environmental impacts for the production, usage, and disposal of plastics.
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