A year on from the Los Angeles, California, wildfires, experts at Plastic Pollution Coalition and Habitable insist there needs to be a reduction in the amount of plastic in homes and other buildings. Said experts believe that this reduction could lead to a minimised risk in future health and wildfires.
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Plastic Pollution Coalition and Habitable advice reducing plastics following LA wildfires
The expert’s report, “How Plastics Fuel Wildfires & How to Rebuild Better,” examines the connections between plastics and wildfires, as well as how communities affected by wildfires can rebuild with safer, plastic-free materials. Not only do plastic building materials burn hotter and faster, but they are also more toxic than natural materials. Additionally, long-term environmental threats can persist for years following a disaster, a fact that can be greatly exacerbated by plastics.
“Building homes and neighbourhoods from flammable and toxic plastic is a giant risk to our health, safety, and futures. Last year, my family nearly lost our home in the wildfires that swept across LA,” said Grace Potter, Musician. “I saw firsthand how countless neighbourhoods, schools, and lives were upended in this unnecessary chain reaction. While there were, of course, other factors at play, I believe choosing plastic-free building materials and passing legislation to make these materials more affordable and accessible can help prevent heartbreaking loss like this from happening in the future.”
Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder & CEO of Plastic Pollution Coalition, added, “As LA rebuilds from last year's fires, we must build resilience—that means using less plastic and more natural and nontoxic building materials.”
Both Cohen and Potter live in California and have recently teamed up to write about the serious impacts of the 2025 disaster, its connections, and how Los Angeles can rebuild better, using safer natural materials.
Last November, Habitable CEO Gina Ciganik did a TEDx Talk on “The Plastic Problem Hidden in Plain Sight.” During the talk, she describes the harms from plastic building materials and related chemicals, including links to cancer, reproductive harm, and developmental issues, before going on to propose solutions.
After the packaging industry, the building and construction industry is the second-biggest driver of plastic production and pollution. Better decision-making tools for builders and policies encouraging safer, plastic-free building materials can help promote the necessary change to better protect communities from the dangers of plastics. Healthier, more sustainable alternative materials are available and have been presented in the report, which also found them to be comparable in cost and performance.
