A City Organizes Itself

São Paulo is a massive city with a population of around 11.4 million people and is divided into 32 subprefectures. Having to coordinate a unified environmental effort across all of them is no small task, yet that is what happened this Earth Day. 

To prepare for Earth Day, São Paulo partnered with Clean Brazil Institute or Instituto Limpa Brasil as part of EARTHDAY.ORG’S Great Global Cleanup campaign. Through the Great Global Cleanup campaign, EARTHDAY.ORG supported local partnerships that helped train community leaders, mobilize volunteers, and connect São Paulo’s cleanup to a global movement for community action. 

A mutirão is more than a neighborhood cleanup. It is a long-standing tradition of neighbors coming together to solve a shared problem or achieve a common goal through collective volunteer work. That tradition guided São Paulo’s Earth Day activities from start to finish.  

The preparation began on Earth Day itself. On April 22nd, community leaders gathered for training that prepared them to organize volunteers and lead cleanup efforts in their own neighborhoods. Then, on April 25, those leaders led simultaneous cleanup crews across every subprefecture in the city.

By Earth Day, those trained community leaders had mobilized more than 2,000 volunteers to participate in hands-on cleanup efforts, while residents took part in surrounding community events and awareness activities that gave the day its scale. Volunteers hauled plastics, paper, and other irregularly dumped trash from streets and squares.  

More Than a Cleanup

The goal was never to simply haul away trash. It was to show, block by block, that lasting environmental progress starts with people getting involved. By the end of the day, volunteers had removed roughly 150 tons of waste in a single coordinated effort, showing what community action can achieve.

Environmental education in local communities was a part of the effort. São Paulo’s State Environmental Education Policy describes this kind of work as a way to help students build a sense of responsibility and belonging toward parks, rivers, and public spaces around them. 

Waste picker cooperatives were also an important part of the cleanup, helping sort and recover recyclable materials while connecting a one-day event to an ongoing recycling system. The work didn’t end when Earth Day was over. Brazil recognizes waste picker cooperatives as partners in municipal waste management through its National Solid Waste Policy, and their role helped ensure that recyclable materials collected during the cleanup continued through São Paulo’s recycling system. 

Part of Something Bigger

São Paulo wasn’t the only city taking action this Earth Day. Through EARTHDAY.ORG’S Great Global Cleanup, communities in 190 countries organized cleanups throughout April 2026. These efforts show how local cleanups can bring communities together while encouraging long-term action on illegal dumping and waste management. 

A São Paulo Waste Study found that when trash isn’t managed properly it can contaminate waterways and worsen flooding, challenges that the city has been facing for years. While every community approaches cleanup differently, São Paulo showed what can happen when local leadership, residents, schools, and environmental organizations all work towards something that feels distinctly local. 

Whether it’s joining a local cleanup, organizing neighbors, or participating in EARTHDAY.ORG’s Great Global Cleanup, every effort helps build healthier communities, one block at a time. Find a cleanup near you and get involved at EARTHDAY.ORG.

The post In São Paulo, Earth Day Begins Block by Block appeared first on Earth Day.

We’ve all seen the stories about plastic pollution in the ocean. But the journey of plastic pollution begins much farther inland, passing directly through cities and communities that depend on those waterways. 

Along the way, microplastics contaminate drinking water, freshwater habitats, and food systems long before it reaches the coast. In fact, nearly 80% of marine plastic originates from land-based products, with rivers serving as one of the main pathways transporting it to the ocean. 

Researchers have documented impacts from plastic pollution in inland cities like St. Louis, Baton Rouge, and around Lake Mead. Fortunately, local organizations and community leaders are working to reduce plastic pollution at its source, thus protecting waterways and communities upstream. 

Caught in the Current

The Mississippi River is one of the most studied rivers in the country when it comes to plastic, and the numbers show a growing problem. Scientists sampling the river found that microplastic levels actually increase as the river passes through St. Louis on its way south instead of thinning out. Researchers at St. Louis University discovered 237 different types of microplastics in riverbed sediment across the Meramec watershed, connecting contamination to nearby land use and local pollution sources.

To tackle the problem, the city joined the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative partnering with other mayors along the river to volunteer to track and log plastic waste through a simple smartphone app. Locally, organizations like the Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper map where plastics show up the most with the bigger goal as organizers from the University City’s Department of Public works state “preventing more, picking up less,” putting pressure on companies that contribute to the creation of the world’s single-use plastics in the first place.

Hooked on Plastic 

The city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sits along a stretch of the Mississippi near a major petrochemical corridor; here, plastics have already made it into the food system. The lower Mississippi River carries around 328 billion microplastic particles into the Gulf of Mexico each year. Water samples that were collected upstream and downstream from Baton Rouge all contained concentrations of microplastics. 

The evidence doesn’t stop at the water’s surface. Microplastics have been found in four freshwater fish species from the Mississippi River, including bluegill and largemouth bass, showing that plastic pollution has already worked its way into the food web. The pattern continues in nearby St. Francisville where 12.66% of sampled fish contained microplastics, underscoring how plastic pollution is affecting aquatic life in the lower Mississippi River.  

Taking matters into their own hands, Baton Rouge residents formed the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition, an all-volunteer group that organizes regular cleanups along waterways like the Bayou Fountain and assisted in the development of a stormwater litter management plan. The coalition partnered with local organizations to install a 75 foot litter catcher that captures floating plastic before it reaches other downstream locations. 

Drinking Downstream 

Out west, the source of pollution looks different but the risk may even be more personal. The Colorado River moves through farms, cities, and deserts before flowing into Lake Mead, a reservoir that supplies drinking water to nearly 25 million people across the Southwest. 

Microplastics have been found throughout the reservoir’s water and lakebed with one sediment core preserving nearly 19 years of plastic buildup. Much of that contamination has been traced back to Las Vegas Wash, a channel that carries treated wastewater from four treatment plants. 

The problem reaches far beyond Lake Mead. A separate survey detected microplastics in every Colorado river and stream sampled, highlighting the scale of contamination across a watershed that supplies water to around 40 million people and supports 5.5 million acres of farmland.

Communities across the Colorado River Basin are responding by monitoring plastic pollution and restoring waterways before contaminants spread farther downstream. Volunteers and local organizations like Environment Colorado continue to document the presence of microplastics in waterways. At the same time, long term restoration efforts along the Las Vegas Wash work to improve water quality by stabilizing streambanks and restoring wetlands before water enters Lake Mead. Together these efforts recognize that protecting drinking water begins long before it reaches the tap. 

You Don’t Need a Coastline to Take Action

The stories of St. Louis, Baton Rouge, and Lake Mead show that inland communities are not waiting for plastic pollution to reach the coast before taking action. Across the country residents, researchers, and local organizations are finding new ways to track and reduce plastic pollution before it enters rivers, reservoirs, and food systems. 

The fight against plastic pollution begins with you. Visit EARTHDAY.ORG’S the Great Global Cleanup map to find a cleanup near you or register one in your own community. 

EARTHDAY.ORG is the driving force behind the Earth Day movement year-round. You can have articles like this emailed to your inbox by signing up for our email list. Make sure to also check out our social media at X, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube for environmental news and information straight from the Earth Day source.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at woods@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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What happens to an old pair of sneakers once they wear out? Or the coffee grounds left in your cup? Most of us toss these items without giving them a second thought but many everyday materials have value after their original purpose has ended.

June 24th marks National Upcycling Day, a reminder that waste is not always the end of the story. Around the world, people are finding new ways to reuse and repurpose items that might otherwise end up in landfills.

Upcycling is one way to rethink waste. By finding creative and practical uses for existing materials, this can lessen the demand for new raw materials while keeping the planet clean. While not every second-life solution falls under the definition of upcycling, they all share a common goal: extending the life of materials that could be discarded.

This National Upcycling Day, here are six surprising everyday items getting a second life:

After the Last Sip 

For many people, coffee is part of a daily routine and what happens to the grounds after the coffee is gone is easy to overlook. Globally, around 6 million tons of used coffee grounds are generated each year, and much of that waste ends up in landfills where it releases methane through decomposition. 

Researchers and companies have found that coffee grounds can remain useful even after brewing is finished. Spent coffee grounds can be processed into biodegradable food packaging used to wrap produce and protect food during shipping. As concerns about plastic waste continue to grow, coffee grounds are becoming a promising alternative for more sustainable packaging solutions.

What most people see as waste could help replace some of the single-use packaging materials that we rely on every day. 

Beyond the Finish Line 

Most athletic shoes are built to last through years of running, walking, and everyday use, but the challenge comes when they finally wear out. Sneakers are made from a mix of rubber, foam, and different synthetic materials which are difficult to recycle through traditional systems.

The average pair of sneakers may seem no longer useful once the sole wears down, but the fabrics inside can still be repurposed. Instead of ending up in a landfill, some worn-out sneakers are being transformed into playground surfaces, running tracks, and sports courts.

Recycled shoe materials have been incorporated into recreational surfaces worldwide, demonstrating how products designed for one purpose can also be repurposed for another. In the process, old sneakers are helping create spaces where future generations can play.  

Shells That Sustain 

Most people don’t think twice about oyster shells after a meal. Yet in coastal communities located in Maryland and Virginia those shells are becoming an important resource for ecosystem restoration.

In these areas what typically looks like food waste is actually one of nature’s best building materials. Oyster reefs once covered large portions of the Atlantic coast, but populations in the Chesapeake Bay have declined to roughly 1% of their historic levels. Without enough living oysters to naturally rebuild reefs, recycled oyster shells provide a critical hard surface for young oysters to attach and grow, making them one of the most effective resources for reef restoration. 

The benefits of this extend beyond just the oysters themselves. Healthy reefs can improve water quality, reduce erosion, and create a habitat for marine species such as fish and crabs. An analysis of 245 restoration projects from 1960-2020 found that restored reefs increased oyster production more than twentyfold while also improving ecosystem health. 

For coastal communities facing environmental pressures, something as simple as a discarded shell can help rebuild a habitat.

Sea to Shore 

Fishing gear that is left behind is one of the most persistent forms of marine pollution. An estimated 640,000 tons of fishing nets are lost or abandoned in the world’s oceans every year where they can continue to harm wildlife after they are no longer in use. 

Fishing nets are made from synthetic polymers like nylon, woven into dense grids designed to endure waves and abrasive sand without snapping. This toughness means the plastic doesn’t easily degrade over time. When recycled and recovered those same fibers can be transformed into long lasting products. 

Companies are increasingly recovering abandoned fishing gear and transforming it into products such as sunglasses frames and other consumer goods. By keeping these materials out of the ocean, these efforts can help reduce harmful marine debris while giving used fishing nets a second life.

What was once a threat to marine ecosystems is now being repurposed into everyday items. 

Spun from Citrus 

Orange juice may seem like an unlikely starting point for clothing but researchers have spent years exploring that exact possibility. 

Nearly half of every orange including the peel, pulp, and seeds remain after consumption and processing. In Italy alone, citrus production generates around 700,000 tons of waste each year. 

Textile innovators have developed ways to extract cellulose from orange peels and convert it into fibers that can be used in the manufacturing of clothing and textiles. What started as an experiment in a lab is now showing up in real fashion collections. 

As the fashion industry looks for alternative materials, agricultural byproducts such as orange peels are demonstrating how waste can become a new resource. 

From Wardrobe to Walls 

Americans discarded an average of over 17 million tons of clothing and textiles in 2018, while globally the fashion industry generates an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste annually, much of which ends up in landfills.

Because denim is primarily made from cotton it can be recycled into new products rather than being disposed of immediately. Programs collect worn-out jeans and denim scraps, which are then shredded and transformed into denim insulation, a natural building material that can be used in homes and in community building projects. 

Recycling denim into insulation means less cotton ending up in a landfill and energy going into producing new materials. Old denim can help improve energy efficiency in homes across the country. 

EARTHDAY.ORG is the driving force behind the Earth Day movement year-round. You can have articles like this emailed to your inbox by signing up for our email list. Make sure to also check out our social media at X, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube for environmental news and information straight from the Earth Day source.

Looking for more individual actions you can take? Check out our 50 Easy Ways to Help the Planet Every Day.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at woods@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post 6 Everyday Items Getting A Surprising Second Life  appeared first on Earth Day.