Less than 10% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled.
The future isn’t recycling our way out of plastic pollution; it’s creating systems built around reuse and making them accessible, because reuse is a right.
Every July, millions of people around the world participate in Plastic Free July by choosing reusable products over single-use plastics. At Heal the Bay, we’ve spent 40 years working to stop plastic pollution before it reaches the ocean through science, advocacy, education, and community action. Today, that work includes advancing policies that reduce single-use plastics and make reuse easier for everyone.
That’s why this year for Plastic Free July, Heal the Bay is focused on one simple idea:
Reuse Is a Right
Everyone deserves access to safe, healthy, reusable options that create less waste and protect the places we love. Choosing reuse shouldn’t be difficult; it should be the norm.
At Heal the Bay, we believe stopping plastic pollution starts long before it reaches the ocean. Through science, education, advocacy, and community action, we work every day to protect our coastline and prevent plastic from entering our waterways.
This Plastic Free July, we’re asking you to start where you are and join the movement to create a future where reuse is accessible for everyone.
Plastic Pollution Doesn’t Start at the Beach
Most plastic pollution begins far from the ocean. A takeout container gets tossed away. A plastic bag blows down the street. A plastic bottle cap washes into a storm drain.
From there, trash travels through our neighborhoods, rivers, and watersheds until it reaches the ocean, where it can harm marine life, break down into microplastics, and even make its way back to us through the food chain.
The good news? We can stop it before it gets there, together.
Click here to jump to the 2026 Plastic Free July Guide and start where you are.
How Heal the Bay Is Fighting Plastic Pollution
Here’s how Heal the Bay is leading the fight for reuse, protecting our coast, and making a difference through science, advocacy, and education.
Leading for Reuse
- Co-founded the Reusable LA Coalition (30+ nonprofits)
- Launched ‘Hold the Plastic Please,’ giving LA residents and businesses easy access to reusable dining laws
- One of only 2 non-profits (working to represent dozens of environmental groups) on the LA28 Sustainability Committee to help make the 2028 Olympics a model for sustainability
Changing Laws and shaping local policy
Protecting Our Beaches
- Over 6 million peice of trash removed from the coastline
- Monthly cleanups like Nothin’ But Sand, Adopt-a-Beach, and Suits on the Sand
- Built one of Southern California’s longest-running marine debris datasets over two decades of work
Inspiring the Next Generation
- Educated 280,000+ children at the Heal the Bay Aquarium
- Empowering future ocean advocates through hands-on science
Protecting the ocean starts with changing systems, empowering people, and stopping plastic before it reaches the beach.
Join the Movement
Plastic Free July Isn’t About Being Perfect
It’s about making small choices that add up to a healthier ocean.
Every reusable bottle, shopping bag, or refillable cup helps reduce the amount of plastic that can end up in our neighborhoods, storm drains, rivers, and, ultimately, our ocean.
This Plastic Free July, protect where you live and where you play by choosing to reuse whenever you can. At Heal the Bay, we believe reuse is a right. Everyone deserves access to simple, affordable reusable options that create less waste and help keep our communities and coastline clean.
Small actions may seem insignificant on their own, but together they create cleaner neighborhoods, healthier beaches, and a stronger future for our coastal waters.
Start where you are. Choose reuse. Protect what you love.
Because the fight against plastic pollution doesn’t start at the beach.
It starts where you are.
Donate to make an immediate impact
Still looking for a way to start where you are this Plastic-Free July? Shop reusables that create real change!
