Plastic waste is an enormous environmental problem, rivaling only climate change and deforestation as one of the biggest negative externalities the world has ever seen. At the current rate of plastic waste leaking into the oceans, the World Economic Forum (2016) estimates that by 2050 our oceans will actually contain more plastic than fish (by weight). Collectively we have deposited enough plastic and other waste in the earth that geologists are now defining a distinct geologic epoch they call the Anthropocene. But plastics also offer many benefits that few of us can imagine doing without. How did we get here and what can we do about it? Come hear about some of the initiatives underway that use the principles of green chemistry and the circular economy to help solve this intractable problem.