At the rate our world is going, by 2050 we'll have more plastic than fish in our oceans. Plastic trash is killing whales, choking turtles, and accumulating in massive garbage patches in our oceans.



The European Union has proposed a ground-breaking and important effort to ban single-use plastics like straws, utensils, plates and other hard-to-recycle plastic trash. Care2 is celebrating World Oceans Week by launching this petition to applaud the move and to urge the European Parliament to approve the new rules as soon as possible. If these laws are enacted, the EU will help lead the way to a plastic-free future.



The rules will ban certain plastic items, while adopting a "polluter pays" strategy to force the companies which manufacture plastic goods to pay to assist in collection, clean up and recycling services associated with their goods. EU policy makers behind the proposal are excited to inspire a "race to the top" to greatly increase the amount of plastic material captured by the three R's of "reduce, reuse, recycle," while jumpstarting the circular economy.

Encourage the EU to act quickly and adopt the new rules as soon as possible – Our oceans don't have time for delay.