Pacific Environment Senior Director of Plastics Kristen McDonald was recently featured in a Los Angeles Times Letter to the Editor discussing plastic pollution in Los Angeles waterways ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
“Angelenos deserve better than an Olympics that leaves behind a pile of plastic for cleanup. The Games are a monumental moment to showcase real solutions — including reuse and refill systems at scale — to prevent single-use plastic pollution in the first place,” said McDonald. “The Ocean Cleanup’s technologies are expensive, ineffective and distract from real solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.”
In her letter, McDonald argues that efforts to address ocean plastic pollution should prioritize upstream solutions, including reuse and refill systems, rather than relying solely on costly cleanup technologies. She also raises concerns about the potential ecological impacts of river interception systems on aquatic life.
Read the full piece in the Los Angeles Times
