Zero Waste Toolkit

Our waste facilities are dangerous to the heatlh of those who live nearby. Whether it's a leaking landfill, poisonous incinerator, or fossil-fuel burning plastic production plant, it's too often Black, Brown, and low-income neighborhoods that are forced to live in the shadow of these toxic facilities.

To be a zero waste activist, you must also become an environmental justice activist. Environmental justice means reversing and repairing the impacts of decades of environmental racism and inequity that has plagued our communities. Learn more about environmental justice and how it affects our neighborhoods across New England.

Learn About Environmental Justice

Communities facing the immediate threats of living near polluting incinerators, landfills, plastic manufacturing plants, or other hazardous sites can teach us a lot about what it means to fight for environmental justice.

We can also learn by reading books and articles, listening to podcasts, and watching documentaries to help inform our activism. 

Expand your knowledge of environmental justice issues and share what you learn with your family, friends, and neighbors.

Need Some Suggestions for Where to Get Started?

Watch The Story of Plastic, a documentary that provides a detailed look at the environmental damages and human rights abuses that occur throughout the lifecycle of plastic.

Read ProPublica's article highlighting research that shows a disproportionate rate of coronavirus deaths in polluted areas.

Watch the House Subcommittee on Environment in a virtual briefing on “Plastic Production, Pollution and Waste in the Time of Covid-19: The Life-Threatening Impact of Single Use Plastic on Human Health."

Read "The Burning Issue," an article featured in Grist magazine this past July about a new law in New Jersey that will shield poor communities from new sources of pollution, and asks the question: What about existing ones?

Check out David Naguib Pellow's book, "Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago," which focuses on conflicts of solid waste and pollution in Chicago. 

Share What You Learn