Plastic Pollution

Who Is Waterkeeper: Ranjan Panda, Mahanadi River Waterkeeper


The Mahanadi River runs for over 500 miles from Central Eastern India, through the state of Odisha, and eventually out to the Bay of Bengal. The river...

More than 14,000 People Call on Dow to Stop Plastic Discharges


More than 14,000 people have signed a Waterkeeper Alliance petition urging Dow Inc. and its subsidiary, Union Carbide Corporation, to withdraw proposed...

Daniel Musota, Lake Victoria Waterkeeper Uganda


Daniel Musota is the Lake Victoria Waterkeeper in Uganda. Daniel grew up in Jinja Town, Uganda, where his home and family farms were just a stone’s...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper


Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks has spent decades working to protect the environment. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a self-created...

Over a Million Nurdles Found in 2026 International Plastic Pellet Count


A new report from Waterkeeper Alliance and partners compiles and contextualizes findings from the second-annual International Plastic Pellet Count. Throughout...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Millicent Olal-Muchilwa, North Basin Lake Victoria Waterkeeper


Millicent Olal-Muchilwa credits her children as the reason she became North Basin Lake Victoria Waterkeeper. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, her...

Dow Site in Texas a Hotspot for Plastic Pellet Pollution


Early results from the second annual International Plastic Pellet Count show significant plastic pellet pollution at sites across the United States and...

U.S. EPA Warns of Microplastics and PFAS Danger, Offers No Solutions


Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that microplastics and a broad class of PFAS will be added to its draft Contaminant...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Cheikh Fadel Wade, Bargny Coast Waterkeeper


Cheikh Fadel Wade was born and raised in Bargny, Senegal, an idyllic and peaceful coastal community that traditionally relied on the once abundant fishing...

Africa Regional Summit: Defending Waters and Communities Against the Fossil Fuel Rush


From September 9–12, 2025, Waterkeeper Alliance and Waterkeepers from six African nations gathered in Dakar, Sénégal, for the 2025 Africa Regional...

New Report Quantifies Alarming Levels of Plastic Pellet Pollution in International Waterways, Highlights Need for Strong Global Plastic Treaty


A new International Plastic Pellet Count report released by Waterkeeper Alliance, in partnership with 5Gyres, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG),...

Waterkeeper Alliance to World Leaders: The Planet Can’t Wait, Cut Plastic Pollution Now 


Despite the world’s worsening plastic pollution crisis, global leaders failed to reach consensus on a legally binding global plastics treaty during...

Hudson Riverkeeper Clean-up Event


Waterkeeper Alliance recently took part in a community cleanup hosted by Hudson Riverkeeper, in partnership with Riverside Park Conservancy and HSBC. We...

Call Upon Secretary Rubio to Negotiate the Strongest Possible Global Plastics Treaty!


Plastic pollution continues to pose a grave threat to waterways and communities around the world. Unfortunately, delegates at the Intergovernmental Negotiating...

International Plastic Pellet Count


The actions we take every day lead to lasting change.  Join our 2025 International Plastic Pellet Count on May 3 to help us track plastic pollution,...

Urge the State Department to Negotiate the Strongest Possible Global Plastics Treaty!


A crucial treaty on plastics and plastic pollution is currently being hammered out at the fifth session of the International Negotiating Committee for...

Tell EPA to Protect Our Waterways From These Toxic Plastic Chemicals


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to designate several chemicals used in making plastic- including vinyl chloride – as “High-Priority...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Sean Dixon, Puget Soundkeeper

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • Blog | News

Sean Dixon of Puget Soundkeeper grew up on the other side of the country in Buffalo, NY. Obsessed with fish, he learned to scuba dive as a teenager. He...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Nabil Musa, Waterkeepers Iraq-Kurdistan


Nabil Musa grew up in Iraq, but was forced to leave the country in 1996 due to the country’s ongoing military conflict. His childhood was also marred...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Patricio Chambers, Guayllabamba Waterkeeper

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Patricio Chambers has been the Guayllabamba Waterkeeper in Ecuador since 2018. He learned the value of caring for nature from his father, Rafael Chambers,...

Who Is Waterkeeper: Liliana Guerrero, Bocas de Ceniza Waterkeeper

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Liliana Guerrero has been the Bocas de Ceniza Waterkeeper since 2010. She had been living in Cartagena, Colombia, working as a law professor. A colleague...

Earth Day Declaration: Groups Urge Bold Action to Strengthen the Global Plastics Treaty


Today, in honor of Earth Day, a diverse group of 54 organizations from 24 countries across North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia...

Pathway to a Plastic-Free Future: Mobilizing for Change at INC-4


Pathway to a Plastic-Free Future: Mobilizing for Change at INC-4 World leaders must prioritize people over corporate polluters with a strong, enforceable...

We Must Urge Congress to Pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023!


Representative Jared Huffman (CA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) recently reintroduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, a sweeping but common-sense...

Plastic water bottles float in water

Waterkeeper Alliance Applauds Reintroduction of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act


Today, Waterkeeper Alliance applauded Representative Jared Huffman (CA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) for reintroducing the Break Free From Plastic Pollution...

Tell Congress to Pass the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act!


The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, which was first introduced in 2020 and updated in 2021, will soon be reintroduced in both the U.S. House of...

Tell Congress to Keep Plastic Out of Our National Parks!

  • By: Thomas Hynes
  • News

Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois recently introduced House Resolution 4561, also known as the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, for the reduction...

The 2023 Goldman Prize Winners Symbolize Hope for Our Future

  • By: Lori Harrison
  • News

In many cultures across the world a rainbow symbolizes hope. For The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where I was headed for the second...

San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper Diane Wilson is a 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner

  • By: Waterkeeper Alliance
  • News

Congratulations to the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize winners San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper Diane Wilson from the North America/United States,...

Guayllabamba Waterkeeper

Guayllabamba Waterkeeper and the Ancestral Community Practice of Mingas

  • By: Guayllabamba Waterkeeper
  • News

Did you know that for many generations in the indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian highlands, when irrigation water is lacking, everyone is summoned...