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.

Westport summers are about the water, but the “convenience” of single-use plastic is weighing down our bags, our beaches, and our bodies. When plastic gear sits in the summer sun, it can leach chemicals into the very things we consume and apply. Beyond our health, these items eventually degrade into microplastics that clog our waterways and enter the Long Island Sound food chain. We’re helping you audit your summer gear before the heat hits.

The May Reset:

• The Sunscreen Swap: Trade leaking plastic bottles for eco-friendly tins. Better for your skin, better for the Sound, and they won’t crack in your bag.
• Lighten the Load: Skip the heavy cases of single-use plastic water bottles. Switch to high-quality hydration powders in your favorite reusable bottle.
• Picnic Smarter: Ditch the zip-tops and invest in a “Beach Charcuterie” kit with reusable containers. These materials are non-porous and chemically inert, keeping the seagulls away, the sand out, and the endocrine disruptors out of your snacks.
• The Garden Loop: Don’t let plastic pots haunt your garage or go straight to the garbage. Use our local drop-off guide for a clutter-free shed.

Small choices in May = A cleaner Westport in August.

👉 Read our Full Guide: How to De-Plastic Your Summer Gear

Progress Over Perfection

You don’t need a zero-waste life to make a difference in Westport. Every “UnPlastic” swap you make in May is one less piece of trash on our shoreline in August.

Ready to start your reset? Pledge to UnPlastic here.