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Move Past Plastic Founder Says Microplastics Crisis Demands Local Action, Education
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Asia Tabb
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AIRED; November 19, 2025
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Move Past Plastic founder Tamela Trussell says her organization exists to help communities better understand the growing dangers of single-use plastics in the region. “The heart of our mission is to be a resource for understanding the complexities and potential harms of single-use plastic,” she said, noting that the group works with partners locally and nationwide to support education and reduction efforts.
Trussell was inspired to start the organization after learning about the connection between the petrochemical industry and the full life cycle of plastics. Discovering an impaired stream near her home was a turning point. “Plastic is more than a litter problem. It is a chemical and microplastic problem,” she said, adding that legacy industries like tire, rubber, and carpet manufacturing continue to release contaminants of “emergent concern” into waterways.
She also identified gaps in local environmental work, where many watershed groups have long focused on pollutants like sediment and nitrogen. “They didn’t know the impacts of microplastics and the chemicals within them,” she said, which motivated her to create Move Past Plastic to help municipalities and residents understand how plastics intersect with issues already affecting local water systems.
Trussell says misconceptions about recycling remain one of the biggest obstacles. With only 5–6% of plastic currently recycled, she warns that recycling alone cannot solve the problem. “We produce way too much plastic to possibly recycle,” she said, pointing out that plastic’s hundreds of different resins and the buildup of chemical toxicity during recycling make the process far less effective than many believe.
