EJCAP facilitates a collaborative space for environmental justice (EJ) community groups to tackle the life cycle of plastics pollution and its impacts to human and environmental health.

Training and Tour in Modesto and The Bay

EJCAP members gathered in August 2024 to learn about reducing plastic waste and a Just Transition toward Zero Waste Local Economies.

Kibera Door to Door Collection Tour with EJCAP

EJCAP members learned about local waste pickers’ initiatives in Nairobi.

Environmental Justice Coalition at the Ottawa Global Plastics Treaty Talks (INC-4)

EJCAP attended the Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) negotiations in Ottawa in April 2024

Worker-Community Solidarity in the Struggle for a Zero Waste Future

EJCAP members joined the Teamsters’ Waste Division to talk about future Zero Waste Local Economies.

SB 54: Not a Fairytale Ending for EJ Communities

What is “SB 54” ?

incinerator smokestack

From Burning to Building Our Future

EJ Communities force California’s last two waste incinerators to shut down

Don’t Be Fossil Fooled!

Who We Are.

Established in 2021, the Environmental Justice Communities Against Plastics coalition (EJCAP) tackles the life cycle of plastic pollution, prioritizing frontline communities’ needs. We support developing local, environmentally responsible, zero-waste alternatives led by communities and workers.

The plastics life cycle is toxic and causes health harms at every stage, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, consumption, to its ultimate disposal. These health impacts include cancers, developmental and reproductive harms, impacts to respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and more. 

Environmental justice (EJ) communities live and work at the frontlines of these extractive and health-harming industries, and experience the highest levels of exposures to toxins at each stage of the plastics life cycle. Oil, gas, and petrochemical industries that manufacture plastics are disproportionately located in people of color and low-income communities. Most disposable plastics also end up in landfills and incinerators that are disproportionately sited in communities of color and low-income communities. The cumulative health impacts that result from these exposures are intensified due to inadequate health access and infrastructure. Meanwhile, industry-backed solutions do not address waste prevention, nor do they reduce plastic demand upstream, and often cause more harm.

EJCAP works to ensure that environmental justice communities are leading just transition strategies and pathways to resolve the plastic pollution crisis.

Our Priorities.

Click icons to read each priority story

Prioritize Frontline Communities

Invest in Better Solutions

Increase Access to Alternatives

Hold Industry Accountable

Why it Matters

Across the U.S., EJ communities are the most affected by plastic pollution and the cumulative impacts of oil, gas, and petrochemical industries that manufacture plastics.

The life cycle of plastics is toxic and harmful at every stage, including the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, consumption, and disposal.

Most disposable plastics end up in landfills and incinerators that are disproportionately sited in communities of color and low-income communities.

Industry-backed solutions do not address waste prevention, or reduce plastic demand upstream, and they often cause more harm than good to EJ communities.

EJ communities and worker participation should lead just transition strategies and pathways to resolve the plastic pollution crisis.

Steering Committee

Black Women for Wellness

is a reproductive justice, human rights organization committed to the health and well-being of Black women and girls through health education, empowerment and advocacy. Since its founding in 1997, BWW has always believed in the strength and wisdom of our community and allies. BWW’s Environmental Justice team works with and for the community we serve in South LA, in collaboration with non-profit and academic institutions, and alongside our fellow BWW programmatic teams to address environmental racism. bwwla.org

Just Transition Alliance

serves people of color, Indigenous peoples and low-income communities harmed by polluting industries, as well as workers in those industries.  We support community organizing with a focus on education and action, led by those on the frontlines of production and at the fenceline of exposure, towards system changes that do not compromise people or our environment.  Our goal is to help workers and communities achieve a just transition from dirty production processes towards health-based local economies to scale, protecting the most vulnerable populations and workers first.  jtalliance.org

Pacoima Beautiful

is a grassroots environmental justice organization that provides education, impacts local policy, and supports local arts and culture in order to promote a healthy and sustainable San Fernando Valley. Through collective action, we strive to create a safer and cleaner community where children, their family and neighbors can thrive. We believe that Pacoima and the Northeast San Fernando Valley residents are powerful and transformational environmental justice leaders who are stewards of our environment, health, and communities. pacoimabeautiful.org

East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice

is a community-based organization that works to facilitate self-advocates in East Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles and Long Beach. EYCEJ is working towards a safe and healthy environment for communities that are disproportionately suffering the negative impacts of industrial pollution. By providing workshops and trainings, EYCEJ prepares community members to engage in the decision-making processes that directly impact their health and quality of life. eycej.org

Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles

places health and equity at the center of public policy. For over 40 years, we have elevated the trusted voices of health care professionals to support transformative, community-led movements for environmental justice and nuclear disarmament. Our programs equip doctors, nurses, public health workers, allied health care professionals and students with the tools they need to successfully advocate for policies that foster healthier, stronger communities across Los Angeles, Southern California, and beyond. psr-la.org

Valley Improvement Projects

is a grassroots organization committed to enhancing the lives of underrepresented Northern San Joaquin Valley residents through advocacy for social and environmental justice. Focused on various fronts, VIP aims to reduce air pollutants, curb pesticide use near schools and rural communities, improve access to clean drinking water, and promote climate justice via sustainable practices. Our initiatives extend to zero waste efforts, police accountability, tenant rights, outreach to marginalized communities, youth education, and engagement with representatives and coalitions, aligning with multiple environmental and social justice groups to drive impactful change. valleyimprovementprojects.org