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Plastic Pollution Solutions
Circular Economy Kathi King Circular Economy Kathi King

Plastic Pollution Solutions

Only five percent of our nation’s plastic waste was recycled in 2021, according to the Department of Energy. This dismal statistic underscores the growing failure of recycling to keep up with the growing volume of plastic trash.

This webinar covers plastics – recycling, reduction, and policy – focusing on local and state efforts to reduce waste. Viewers will be empowered to take immediate, collective action.

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Eating, Drinking, and Breathing Plastic
Circular Economy Guest User Circular Economy Guest User

Eating, Drinking, and Breathing Plastic

Explore how CEC and partner Santa Barbara Channelkeeper have been working for over a decade to reduce the Central Coast’s dependence on single-use plastic. This event focused on the connection between our health and plastic at a time when the industry is using the pandemic crisis to roll back regulations on plastic bags and other packaging.

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Combatting Hunger and Pollution with CalRecycle Grant

Combatting Hunger and Pollution with CalRecycle Grant

Food waste makes up nearly 20 percent of California’s disposal stream. At CEC, we are proud to share we were one of 36 grant recipients chosen by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to work toward projects that prevent waste, reduce pollution, and combat climate change by getting good food to Californians who need it.

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WIN: City of Santa Barbara moves to #DitchPlastic
Circular Economy, Climate Policy Guest User Circular Economy, Climate Policy Guest User

WIN: City of Santa Barbara moves to #DitchPlastic

Your support helped the City of Santa Barbara continue to ditch single-use plastic. With a hundred signatures and individuals showing up to testify at City Council, a ban on Styrofoam food service items & retail sales will go into effect January 1, 2019, as well as a ban on plastic straws with a provision that food providers must ask customers if they need plastic cutlery or stirrers before providing.

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From Day One
Circular Economy CEC Staff Circular Economy CEC Staff

From Day One

3,292. That’s how many disposable diapers the typical baby uses in its first year, and all of them go into a landfill.

80. That’s about how many cloth diapers Dexter used in his first year, and none of them went into a landfill.

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Reducing Plastic Through Refills
Circular Economy Emily DeMarco Circular Economy Emily DeMarco

Reducing Plastic Through Refills

For years, Peter Tatikian and his wife, Kelley Skumautz, have made a game out of avoiding buying single-use plastic bags. This has been especially interesting when it comes to picking up after their terrier/chihuahua mix, Ollie. It takes a little more creativity on every dog walk. “We have become very inventive in finding bags to pick up poop,” Peter says. This has included paper wrappers, tortilla chip bags, frozen vegetable packaging, and even the plastic mailing sleeves that magazines get mailed in.

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Thinking Outside the Box and Bottle
Circular Economy CEC Staff Circular Economy CEC Staff

Thinking Outside the Box and Bottle

To me, huge stockpiles of stuff is crazy making. What I see are expiration dates and things calling out “do something with me!” The idea of buying cases and pallets of merchandise individually packaged screams waste, so I prefer to source household staples in simple, sustainable quantities.

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