Walking around most stores today, it is hard to imagine a world without plastic. In the U.S., food packaging and containers alone account for over 82 million tons of plastic waste per year. Given that plastic is a staple material of 21st century life, you may be surprised to learn that a world without plastic is not some distant reality. In fact, all you have to do is look back less than a century to find a completely plastic-free world. Today, we are examining that plastic-free history to show that a plastic free world is possible. 

The Eco-Friendly Solution of the 1800s

Although plastic has gained a deservedly bad environmental reputation over the years, one of the driving forces behind its creation was actually one of environmental concern. In the late 1800s, animal horn, specifically ivory, was a valuable source of malleable material used in applications as diverse as hair combs to billiard balls. 

Since ivory is sourced from elephants, they were facing the acute threat of extinction as a result. This helped to prompt scientists to search for synthetic alternatives to materials like ivory. In 1869, John Wesley Hyatt invented the first synthetic polymer, which is a chain of atoms in repeating units, called monomers, often much longer than anything  found in nature. In theory, this new material would relieve some of the pressure on the increasingly scarce natural resources, like ivory. 

It wasn’t until World War II that plastic production really skyrocketed, with production in the United States increasing 300% as it was used to help make aircraft windows, helmets, parachutes, and body armor.  

Soon after, civilian uses for plastic quickly took hold. A major development came in 1965 when the single use polyethylene plastic shopping bag was created by a Swedish company. In the following decades, plastic shopping bags would completely replace paper and cloth bags in grocery stores around the world. With these developments, plastic became a key component of the consumer ‘experience’. 

Plastic Water

Humans have been packaging and storing goods, notably food and drink products, for thousands of years. With the packaging sector contributing the most plastic waste out of all sectors, it is important to understand both what alternate materials exist today, and which ones were utilized in the past, to help us break our present day plastic addiction.

The tradition of using bottles to transport and sell water can be traced back all the way to the Roman Empire, when mineral water from northern Germany was transported through the Empire in clay pottery. Botted water did not appear until the 18th century when glass bottling grew rapidly as major bottling companies in the United States were established. 

In U.S. grocery stores, as late as the 1970s and 80s, soft drinks came packaged exclusively in glass bottles. These bottles could then be returned to supermarkets for recycling for a few cents.  

There is already a strong and growing global interest in returning to using this recyclable glass bottling system for drinks and the recycled glass market is projected to grow significantly as a result, with sales approaching $2.6 billion by 2035. Right now however, just as with soft drinks, it is much more common to see most bottled water in plastic bottles. 

The transition from glass to plastic water bottles primarily occurred in the 1970s. The key development was in 1973 when Nathaniel Wyeth, an American engineer, patented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. PET was lightweight, shatter-resistant, cheap, and versatile for molding into various shapes, which made it ideal for water and soda bottles. 

A 2021 study, published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the journal “BMC Public Health,  reported that in 2016 more than 480 billion plastic drinking water bottles were sold worldwide,  60% higher than a decade earlier. The same study also noted that bottled water consumption is increasing annually by about 7% globally, with estimates that global consumption of bottled water would reach around 513 billion liters by 2025. 

97% of all water sold globally is packaged in plastic bottles.

It is worth noting that drinking water from plastic bottles means we are probably drinking microplastics too. A 2024 study from Columbia and Rutgers Universities found roughly 240,000 plastic particles per liter of plastic bottled water, with most being tiny nanoplastics. They discovered lower levels of around just 5.5 particles per liter in tap water, according to a Penn State Extension summary. 

Plastic Food

Food storage today also tends to involve some form of plastic. Specifically, around 60-70% of all food packaging globally is made from plastic.This large share of plastic packaging also corresponds to the fact that packaging as a whole accounts for about 40% of global plastic waste.

In the past, we used a variety of natural materials to store and preserve our food. In the 18th and early 19th century ceramic containers were popular as they served both a functional and decorative purpose.  These containers were often ornately decorated with materials such as cobalt oxide glaze.

Ceramics are typically made from clay and other raw materials, hardened through a high-temperature firing process. At the time, stoneware clay pottery was an especially popular option for food storage because it held liquids without leaking and kept perishable goods cool. 

Since household items were higher quality and not easily replaceable in the 18th and 19th century, society placed great importance on the concepts of reuse and repair. Newspaper advertisements from colonial America, for example, carry adverts touting the services of craftsmen dedicated solely to the art of repairing ceramics and other housewares. 

In the present age, where everything is disposable, the idea of dedicated household repair professions might seem peculiar, but it could be making a much-needed comeback in the 21st century.  In recent years, various not-for-profit repair shops, working to fix an array of household items, have popped up across the United Kingdom. 

In the US, too, we are seeing a similar resurgence in the interest in these hands-on skills, with enrollment in mechanic and repair programs having increased 11.5% between spring 2021 and 2022, according to the U.S. National Student Clearinghouse.

Plastic Bans Revive Cultural Traditions in Mexico City

In 2020, Mexico City enacted a ban on single use plastic bags and various other plastic products. This set in motion not just a reduction in plastic trash, but a return to the use of traditional bags and food packaging. One of these traditional products is known as ayate bags. 

Ayate is a fabric often made from the fibers of the agave plant. These fibers are known as ixtle by the Otomi indigenous people of central Mexico, who have been making products such as bags, brushes, and clothing from ixtle for hundreds of years. 

Ixtle products were common throughout Mexico until the 1970s, when they were replaced by cheap plastic. With the plastic bag ban in place in Mexico City and other Mexican municipalities, ixtle products have seen a huge rise in popularity as a sustainable and durable alternative to plastic. 

While ixtle represents a sustainable alternative to plastic, ixtle producers, such as the Wäda collective of Cardonal, Hidalgo, stress that a shift in mindset about how we consume goods must also accompany the shift away from plastic. Recently, for example, the collective rejected an order of 8,000 ixtle bags by a national company, explaining that they are not industrial producers, and do not want to overexploit their land. 

The commitment of the Wäda collective to sustainable production, in line with the regenerative capacity of earth’s resources, is a potent reminder that changing the way we think and we consume is just as important as using sustainable materials. 

Searching history for solutions to the plastic waste crisis can have significant environmental and cultural benefits. Although not every plastic substitute of the past can and should be replicated, what history shows us is that human societies successfully stored food, created home and personal care products, and adopted sustainable approaches for thousands of years before plastic was ever even an idea. Alternative packaging and shipping materials include other natural fibers such as coconut fiber, hemp, husk, oat hulls, cotton burs, jute (similar to burlap) and bagasse (a byproduct of sugarcane harvesting).

On top of that, science is inventing new non-plastic alternatives today as well. For example, In 2021, Hongli (Julie) Zhu, an associate professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University, developed a biodegradable plastic bag alternative made from bamboo fiber and sucrose. The bag, unlike most biodegradable materials, retains its strength in wet conditions and does not degrade until exposed to the outdoors. According to Zhu, once the bag is buried in the soil it will degrade completely in just 60 days. 

Alternative ways of creating; packaging; and most importantly, placing value on our goods, could provide the solution to our plastic waste crisis. As the global population continues to skyrocket and consumer demand increases, it is likely that our waste production will also grow. So we need plastic alternatives, now more than ever.To keep the pressure on global governments to manage soaring plastic production we must collectively demand caps on the production of plastics. Please sign our Global Plastics Treaty Petition and tell the United Nations and all governmental organizations to slash plastic production globally by 60% by 2040.

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Did you know that there is a link between plastic bag pollution and malaria? 

As plastic pollution poses an ever-increasing threat to environmental and human health, there are few culprits that stand out as sorely as plastic bags. With impacts as diverse as killing marine life to providing breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitos, plastic bags are literally killing us.

Because of the endless dilemmas caused by plastic bag usage, 91 countries and territories have implemented either a full or partial ban on plastic bags. In the United States, where 100 billion plastic bags — or ten times the global population — are utilized every single year, there is no national ban in place. 

The battleground for plastic legislation therefore falls primarily to state and municipal level legislators, where the complicated legal issue of the so-called “pre-emptive bag bans,” come into play. 

As Plastic Free July comes to a close, it’s a good moment to highlight the complex landscape of plastic bag bans in the United States as well as celebrate  the success stories  in combatting our plastic bag pollution crisis.

What is Preemption Exactly and How Does it Complicate Plastic Bag Bans?

Preemption is a legal principle that says when two authorities are in conflict with each other, the law of the higher authority will supersede the law of the lower authority. For example, let’s say a city passes a law banning plastic bags in grocery stores to reduce pollution. But later on the state government passes a law that says: “No city in this state is allowed to ban plastic bags.” Because the state has higher legal authority than the city, the state law “preempts” the city’s law, meaning the city’s plastic bag ban is now invalid under state law. In this case, state preemption blocks the city from enforcing its own environmental rule, even if the local community supports it.

In the United States, preemption occurs at the federal level and at the state level, and unfortunately many U.S states have passed laws preventing local authorities from creating their own regulations on issues including plastic bag regulation.

In fact, 19 states have done this, specifically as it relates to signing a preemption law that bars local governments from creating or enacting their own legislation to ban plastic bags. 

Despite these challenges, many municipalities have fought back to push forward their bold plastic reduction policies and some preemption laws have even been successfully overturned. 

Success Stories: Colorado Overturns Preemption Law 

In 2021, Colorado became the first state in the U.S to overturn its preemption law that had banned  local governments from passing their own regulations on plastic bags and other types of packaging. 

For years, Colorado’s preemption policy meant that cities and counties—even those eager to reduce pollution—were legally prohibited from banning plastic bags or implementing stronger waste reduction policies than those set by the state. This restriction frustrated local leaders and environmentalists trying to address the growing plastic waste crisis in their own communities.

The passage of House Bill 21-1162, was historic. This landmark piece of legislation created a statewide phaseout of single-use plastic bags and polystyrene foam containers, and, perhaps more importantly, repealed the ban on local action.  When the preemption repeal officially took effect in July 2023, it restored the ability of locally elected governments to pass stricter rules than the state’s own minimum standards. Colorado’s decision marked a turning point in the national plastic policy debate by recognizing and empowering local solutions to environmental challenges.

In addition to overturning preemption, the new Colorado law imposes bans on plastic carryout bags in stores and retail food establishments, with the ban going into full effect as of July 1st, 2024. 

A co-benefit of this new legislation is the tax revenue which is created by placing a small fee on the paper bags retailers now provide instead of offering single-use plastic bags. Stores can now charge customers a 10-cent fee per paper bag. 60% of the revenue generated from this fee goes to the municipality to fund enforcement and waste reduction efforts, while 40% can be used by the retailer as revenue. This legislation shows that plastic bag bans are a smart choice for both the environment and the economy. 

The City of Brotherly Love Comes Together to Curb Plastic Use

Although the Philadelphia city government passed a law banning plastic bags in December 2019, the city’s ability to enforce their new legislation was delayed when state lawmakers extended an existing preemption policy for plastic bag regulation through 2021. 

This decision was aided by lobbying from the Plastics Industry Association, a major U.S. trade association that represents the entire plastics supply chain, who claimed in a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services, DHHS, that reusable bags pose a greater risk than single use plastic bags of carrying bacteria, viruses  and potentially even COVID-19.

Reusable bags in this context refers to bags designed to be used multiple times instead of single-use plastic, which is intended to be used once and thrown away. These reusable bags are typically durable, washable, and made from materials such as cotton, canvas, jute (natural plant fiber), woven or non-woven polypropylene (a type of plastic fabric), recycled PET (from recycled plastic bottles), polyester (another form of plastic), or hemp.

The notion that these reusable bags are somehow unsafe is essentially crafted PR disguised as concern for public health, using fear and questionable science to defend single-use plastics and protect industry interests. This tactic has been widely documented as the plastics industry’s response to single use bag bans. This claim that reusable bags are less safe has since been disproven.

In 2021, Philadelphia along with three other Pennsylvania townships and cities sued the State of Pennsylvania, debating the constitutionality of the state’s preemption law. They successfully argued that it was passed unconstitutionally—as it had been tucked into a larger budget bill in violation of procedural rules—and that it infringed on their constitutional right to protect the environment.

A few months later, when the state legislature passed its budget in summer 2021, it did not renew the preemption on plastic bans. Which meant that municipalities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, that had passed regulations on single use plastic bags could finally implement their own bans.  Helping them to keep Pennsylavania’s streets and waterways clean and less clogged with plastic bags!. 

The success of Philadelphia and its neighbors in overturning antiquated preemptive plastic laws shows that when municipalities come together, they have substantial collective power and represent key players in the fight against plastic waste.

In Florida, the Fight Continues

Since 2008, Florida’s state preemption law has prevented local bans on some single-use plastic materials such as bags, even though in a study conducted by the University of Florida in 2021, an astounding 93% of Floridians reported that they believe plastic bag regulation is necessary.  

Despite the challenge of preemption laws, some municipalities have found ways to regulate plastic bags and other products anyway without breaking preemption laws, including Miami-Dade County.

Here’s how: the County created  a voluntary program known as Plastic Free 305, where local businesses can become certified members of a plastic-free business coalition if they commit to replacing or eliminating various single-use plastic items. 

As of summer 2024, 88 local businesses were enrolled in the program. Moreover, cities like Miami Beach have banned the distribution of single-use plastic bags on city-owned property including beaches and sidewalks, and initiated city-wide bans on products like plastic utensils and straws, which are not covered under Florida preemption laws.

The hard work of Florida municipalities was put into jeopardy by Florida Bill 1822, which was debated during the 2025 state legislative session, and which would have barred local governments and state parks from regulating single-use plastics on city property. 

This would have effectively axed regulations like those implemented by the city of Miami Beach. While the bill was postponed this legislative session, this does not mean that similar attempts to fight plastic pollution will not be considered in the future. State preemption continues to jeopardize the strides made by local Florida lawmakers in fighting single use plastic bag usage. They are clearly listening to their constituent’s wishes over the demands of the plastic industry.

As local governments continue to spearhead the movement to end plastic bag pollution, you can do your part by signing the Global Plastics Treaty petition which calls for governments and the United Nations to commit to a rapid phase-out of plastic products. Plus if you live in the U.S and want to make your voice heard at a local level – let your elected officials standing up to plastic know you support them. 

Together, we can make plastic action a local, national  and global priority so that we end plastic pollution once and for all. 

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. 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 davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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While many countries have some form of legislation to combat plastic pollution, in some countries using a plastic bag can even land you with a hefty chunk of jail time. That’s right, in Kenya, someone caught manufacturing or using plastic bags could face up to four years in prison. 

Although this measure might seem extreme to some, the fact is that across sub-saharan Africa alone, a soccer field’s worth of waste is burned or dumped every minute of the day. Amongst the many other health consequences of plastics, burning plastic can disrupt neurodevelopment and negatively impact reproductive and endocrine systems. 

But as countries battle to stop the rising tide of plastic waste, a few nations stand out for their innovative and proactive solutions. Today, we are featuring five countries across five continents who are leading the charge to end the era of plastics.

Rwanda

Rwanda became one of the first countries to take serious action on the plastic waste crisis, implementing a ban on single-use plastic bags and bottles in 2008. Violators caught carrying plastic bags can expect a $60 USD fine. As a result, the capital, Kigali, is considered the “cleanest city in Africa” and keeping the city spotless has become a central part of the city’s ethos. 

On the last Saturday of every month, Rwandan citizens aged 16-65 are required to participate in an act of community service. The program known as Umuganda, often involves community trash clean-ups amongst other social and environmental service efforts. By integrating the value of environmental conscientiousness into community efforts, Rwanda is paving the way for us all  to tackle plastic pollution.

France

Chances are when you head to the local supermarket, a large portion of the produce you buy will come wrapped in plastic. With products like oranges and mangoes already conveniently encased in peels, nature’s wrapping paper, the idea of using an added plastic casing is nonsensical. 

In France, produce like these and many others are now completely plastic-free thanks to a new law that came into effect in 2022, banning plastic packaging on 30 types of fruit and vegetables. Even the produce stickers placed directly on food items, which are usually made from plastic, must now be made of compostable material. 

Cheers to plastic-free produce!

Australia

As a federal system like the United States, the plastics policy landscape in Australia is somewhat similar, as individual states have significant power to take action on plastics. 

However, unlike the United States, all states and territories in Australia have some form of plastic ban, albeit with varying degrees of strength. 

The data surrounding plastic bans in Australia has shown promising results. In the state of Queensland, litter audits conducted in the year following the state implementation of a plastic bag ban found a 70% reduction in plastic bag litter.

A unique aspect of Australia’s plastic policy has been the proactive role of private companies. In 2018, two of the largest supermarket chains in Australia, Woolworths and Coles, self-imposed a ban on plastic bags in their stores. This decision resulted in a 80% decrease in plastic bag consumption across Australia. With the vast majority of Australians concerned about the plastic crisis in their country, it is no wonder that governments and private companies alike are getting behind the popular movement to end plastic pollution. 

Chile

Chile was the first Latin American country to ban single use plastics, with a 2022 law targeting all single-use products including plastics. Over three years, the country committed to gradually phasing out all single-use materials in the food and beverage industries, including plastic cups, stirrers, straws, and takeout containers. 

As the longest country in the world stretching along thousands of miles of coastline, and the second largest producer of plastic in Latin America behind Mexico, the country has a significant role to play in protecting our oceans and lands. With this law, Chile took a bold first step to eliminating a product responsible for an astounding 70% of litter on beaches worldwide. 

Having said that, Chile remains a significant plastic producer and exports to developing nation such as Peru, where waste management infrastructure may be limited, increasing the risk of marine pollution. This contradiction — promoting progressive environmental legislation at home while contributing to plastic circulation abroad — reflects the central challenge faced by many countries: balancing short-term economic gains through manufacturing and trade with long-term environmental sustainability.

Let’s hope Chile takes the next step in its war on plastics and stops producing it too!

Canada

In 2021, the Canadian Federal Government listed plastics as a Schedule 1 toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This decision gave the government further authority to regulate the substance, providing the legal basis for a plastics ban gradually phasing out the sale, use, and manufacture of plastic bags, straws, stirrers, cutlery, takeout containers, and ring carriers. 

While Canadians currently can find their streets and stores free of much plastic litter, a coalition representing plastics industry giants Imperial Oil, NOVA Chemicals Corporation, and Dow Chemical Canada filed a lawsuit debating the constitutionality of listing plastic as a toxic substance. Despite the numerous negative impacts of plastics on human health, the plastics lobby won the case, representing a significant blow to Canada’s forceful plastic regulations.

Since the Canadian government appealed the decision, the plastic ban is still in place for now, but the results of the appeal case could jeopardize the current plastic bans, bringing Canada back to square one in the plastic waste crisis. The Canadian case shows that the plastics lobby will not go down without a fight, but collective action with our environment and future in mind is forcing many countries to reevaluate their ties to the plastics industry.

What You Can Do at Home to Push Forward Bold Plastic Policy

As countries around the world push forward consequential plastics legislation, sound plastic policy is desperately needed in the United States. The good news is, we know what solutions work to stop the plastic waste crisis. Now, it’s up to us to urge Congress to put people over the plastics lobby.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. 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 davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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