Every Earth Day, we’re asked to think big: protect the planet, reduce emissions, save the oceans. But what if the key to that big thinking lies in listening closely to one community—and in recognizing that justice, not just innovation, is what will save us?
That’s the lesson from a searing new report by Black Women for Wellness: The Lifecycle of Plastic in South Los Angeles. It’s not just a community assessment. It’s an indictment of a system where environmental harm, corporate accountability, and reproductive injustice all converge—in the grocery aisles, the school cafeterias, and the oil fields of South LA.
The report lays out a reality that’s both infuriating and familiar: plastic is everywhere. It’s in the air, in the water, in our blood. But it’s also more than that. Plastic is a product of fossil fuel extraction, a driver of endocrine disruption, a symbol of corporate convenience over community care. For Black communities in South LA, plastic isn’t a lifestyle choice. It’s structural, it’s imposed—and it’s harming bodies, futures, and trust.
“Everything is plastic,” one resident said. Another asked, “How did plastics get so powerful?”
It’s a good question. The answer, of course, has less to do with polymers and more to do with power.
The oil and plastics industry makes over $400 billion a year. But communities like South LA see only the fallout: the health disparities, the littered streets, the unregulated chemicals in personal care products and lunchroom trays. BWW’s report shows how these harms stack: reproductive toxicity, environmental racism, economic barriers to alternatives. It’s a lifecycle—and a cycle of harm.
But here’s the thing: the people in this report aren’t just identifying the problem. They’re building the solutions.
Students imagining plastic-free schools. Entrepreneurs dreaming of refill stations. Parents calling for reparations, not just recycling bins. The call is clear: any meaningful solution to the plastic crisis must center the communities most impacted, not just to mitigate harm—but to build something better.
This Earth Day, it’s time we ask better questions.
Not just how to recycle more, but why communities like South LA are still waiting for safe infrastructure while Erewhon stocks glass jars. Not just how to reduce plastic, but who is profiting—and who is paying with their health.
And maybe the most important question: what does justice look like in the fight against climate collapse?
At Women’s Foundation California, we believe in the power of policy and people. BWW’s work is a blueprint for that belief—grounded in intersectional feminism, radical listening, and a future where Black lives, health, and leadership are at the center of environmental solutions.
Because plastic is a climate issue. It’s a reproductive issue. It’s a racial justice issue. And Earth Day should be about all of it.
Take Action
- Read the full BWW Report
- Share this post to amplify South LA voices
- Support community-based solutions through SB 54
- Start a conversation: Who benefits from the throwaway culture—and who pays?