Today an estimated 60% of plastic marine debris derives from urban centers [1], as polluted waterways carry plastic pollution to the ocean. Nearly half of all plastic products were in fact produced after the year 2000 [2]. This issue is only decades old, yet over 75% of all plastic ever produced is already waste [3].

While cities will rapidly increase their population densities to account for two-thirds of the global population by 2050 [4], they must also continue to adopt smart solutions that reduce the collective impact of their prospering communities. On plastic, this means preventing, minimizing and managing plastic, both as a resource, and as a global threat to our oceans. 

Plastic Smart Cities is a WWF initiative that supports a no plastic in nature agenda. Since 2018, the initiative has supported cities and coastal centers in taking bold action to stop plastic pollution, with a goal to reduce plastic leakage into nature by 30% in the near term, and achieving no plastics in nature by 2030.

We encourage you to explore our growing catalogue of Best Practices, as categorized in the following six collections: Financial Instruments, Prevention, Collection, Reuse, Recycling and Disposal. These collections are aligned with the internationally recognized Waste Hierarchy, with Prevention as a first priority placed at the top of the hierarchy, and with Disposal at the bottom of the hierarchy, considered only as a last resort.