UnPlastic Westport is Sustainable Westport’s community-wide initiative to reduce our use of plastics, especially single-use plastics, and expand public water-filling stations throughout town. In 2026, our goal is to turn shared intention into measurable, community-wide change.

Plastic affects our health, our environment, and communities far beyond our borders, and recycling alone is not solving the problem. That’s why UnPlastic Westport focuses on reducing plastic at the source through education, practical swaps, and collective action.

No, plastic is uniquely valuable in many industries and can be difficult to replace in our daily lives. However, we’ve normalized plastic in nearly every aspect of life, often without fully considering the long-term consequences for our health, the environment, and for communities around the globe who are disproportionately impacted by our waste and the lasting nature of plastic.

Many people assume single-use plastic and other plastic will be recycled if we put them in the blue bin. In reality, a recent Department of Energy report found that less than ten percent of plastics in the U.S. are actually recycled. While recycling correctly is important, reducing the amount of plastic we use is even better, both for our health and the environment.

Start with what feels reasonable for you. New to your UnPlastic journey? Identify where you can stop relying on single-use plastic. Instead of buying single-use plastic beverages, try buying glass or aluminum or better yet, use your reusable bottle. Ready to tackle your home? Try switching from liquid soap to bar soap, or choosing aluminum or glass containers instead of plastic. Ready to go further? Refillable containers, buying in bulk, or rethinking clothing made with synthetic materials may be your next step.

Wherever you are in your UnPlastic journey, we’re here to help you make the next best choice.

We invite you to Pledge to UnPlastic — a collective commitment to reduce our use of plastics, especially single-use plastics, one small step at a time. By adding your name, you’re signaling your readiness to act. And in return, we pledge to guide you and make it doable.

Each month, we’ll highlight one area of everyday life where single-use plastic is most common and share practical swap ideas you can choose from (or you can create your own!). From your kitchen to your laundry room, sports team gatherings to hosting, these small shifts add up. 

Individual actions matter. And when we take them together, their impact grows exponentially.

Cucumbers wrapped in plastic film. Freshly cut salmon resting on styrofoam and sealed tight. Ketchup and mustard in squeeze bottles. If you stroll through the aisles of your favorite local Westport grocery store (and we have plenty to choose from), plastic is around every turn.

While we cannot single-handedly control what ends up on supermarket shelves overnight,  our daily choices send a powerful message. Opting for loose produce, asking for paper-wrapped fish at the counter, or choosing mustard in a glass jar signals directly to local buyers what Westporters actually want to buy.

Together, our individual choices add up to a collective shift—reducing town waste, minimizing microplastics in our bodies, and reshaping what gets stocked on local shelves.

It all starts with noticing. The next step is choosing differently.

Here are a few simple ways to UnPlastic your next grocery trip:

• Add the produce bags to your reusable stash in your trunk. Reusable bags and produce bags only work if they’re packed and where you need them, when you need them.
• Go bulk where it’s easy. You don’t need to overhaul the whole list. Start with what you buy on repeat.
• Start noticing. Next time you reach for the plastic-wrapped peppers, pause. There’s a loose option right next to it. Which one wins this trip?

👉Keep reading here for more detailed tips before your next grocery visit.