How much plastic do you use in one day? This Earth Day, pledge to reduce your consumption of single- use plastic by not using items such as straws, plastic bags, bottles, and cups. One plastic bag takes approximately 500 years or longer to degrade.

NYC Facts
• NYC Residents produce 12,000 tons of waste every day
• Non-recyclable waste is sent to landfills and incinerators in other states
• Sending waste to other locations cost NYC taxpayers $290 million in 2007

Ecosystem
• Animal species are contaminated with plastic by ingestion or entanglement
• Approximately 8 million metric tons of plastics enter the oceans every year
• Microplastics (plastic particles under 5 mm in size) are ingested by humans when they consume fish and shellfish, potentially exposing them to toxins