We Made Plastic. We Depend on It. Now We’re Drowning in It.The miracle material has made modern life possible. But more than 40 percent of it is used just once, and it’s choking our waterways.

Cleaning up the ocean will require an international agreement on par with the Paris climate accord.

It’s a lie that wasteful consumers cause the problem and that changing our individual habits can fix it.

While soaking up the relaxing cadence of crashing waves on the beach, no one wants to think about how the ocean has basically become garbage soup. But here’s the buzz-killing reality: There are millions of tons of debris floating around in that water—and most of it is plastic.

Encourage your community to go zero waste by hosting a Zero Waste Week in your city. Organize clothing swaps, composting workshops, repair cafes and more to encourage the reuse of existing products and create connection within your community.

To make a real impact on plastic pollution, communities, states, and governments will need to pass laws to reduce and eliminate single-use plastics.