Plastic People, Real Solutions: AWS and Maryland Sierra Club Host Free Film Screening and Panel Discussion

BLADENSBURG, MD – The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS), in collaboration with Maryland Sierra Club, invited community members to a free public screening of Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics, a powerful new documentary that investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health.

What: Film screening highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on human health
When: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: Prince George's Community College Center for the Performing Arts, Proscenium Theater
Why: Plastic waste pollutes our waterways and poses a threat to wildlife and human health. They break up into small pieces and are ingested by marine life, injuring and killing fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Scientists estimate that we are ingesting up to a credit card’s worth of plastic weekly. The film screening will shed light on the issue and the speaker panel will discuss local efforts combating plastic pollution.
Who: Speaker Panel featuring Prince George’s Councilmember Wala Blegay; Tracy Ring, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, Prince George’s Community College; Stephanie Burke, Associate Professor, Health Navigator, Prince George’s Community College; Christopher Williams, President & CEO, Anacostia Watershed Society.

Following the film, AWS President and CEO Chris Williams joined a panel of local environmental leaders to discuss the film’s themes and share how organizations across the region are tackling plastic pollution and restoring the health of the Anacostia River.

“This film is a five-alarm warning to take bold action to curb plastic pollution in our environment before it’s too late,” said Williams. “AWS, Sierra Club, and partners have already successfully pushed to limit plastic bags, Styrofoam, and other plastic pollutants in our local waterways, parks, and streets, and we’re taking aim at plastic bottles through our advocacy of Bottle Bills in DC and Maryland. Together, we can stem the tide of plastic pollutants threatening the environment and human health.”

“This award winning film sheds light on the ongoing health crisis that is microplastics and reminds us that we need to take immediate action to protect our health,” said Martha Ainsowrth, Chair of the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter Zero Waste Team. “Microplastics are hurting our environment, our waterways and bodies everyday, and we need to find solutions and work to implement them together fast.”

Each year, AWS’s trash traps capture thousands of pounds of plastic waste before it reaches the river. Its water quality monitoring provides critical data on pollution trends, while education and advocacy programs help residents and businesses reduce plastic use at the source.

The Plastic People screening presented an opportunity to connect these local efforts to the global movement to end plastic pollution and to inspire collective action for a cleaner, healthier future.