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Cassidy Novak
Master Emma and Liz
8A Science
3 May 2019
Plastic Pollution/Plastic Solution
Plastic is produced and used every day. After it is used, it is “taken care of." We assume
when we throw something away it just disappears, when in reality it is ending up in landfills, in
our water supply, and in our oceans, harming our ecosystems and our bodies. There are 88,000
tons of plastic floating in the Pacific ocean, and it is only increasing (USA Today). Every time
something is thrown away instead of recycled, it ends up harming our world. It is changing the
ecosystems, the environment, the animals, the plants, humans, and the generations to come.
Everything is touched by the effects of plastic waste. For years this garbage has been piling up
in our oceans and on our land. There are many solutions on how to prevent plastic waste -- ways
that we can clean up our planet, ways to produce earth-friendly materials. Even recycling more
than the current 14% will better our contribution to plastic pollution. We can improve our world
by decreasing the amount of plastic waste.
Let's start with the basics, the numbers, the stats on our plastic use and waste. One
million plastic bottles are purchased every minute around the world. Five trillion single-use
plastic bags are used worldwide each year. These and other single-use plastics are rapidly
increasing the amount of waste. People carry their groceries home, and then throw the bag
away and drink out of a plastic bottle and then throw the bottle away. Single-use is the very
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definition of waste, as it is one of the biggest contributors to the plastic mess. In the article,
“Plastic In Our Oceans," the author explains that " to humans, these are items of comfort, if not a
necessity. But to marine animals,
they can be a floating minefield¨
(Joyce). This means we use these
everyday plastic items mindlessly,
and that these plastics make up the
majority of the plastic pollution,
rather than the plastics we can use
multiple times. In 1970 a very
minimal amount of plastic was being produced. By
https://cosmosmagazine.com/society/global-plastic-waste-totals-4-9-billion-tonnes 1990, plastic waste was discovered in
the oceans, and the amount of plastic used and the pollution have since tripled in amount (UN
Environment).
The whole world is a part of the problem of plastic production and pollution. China is the
biggest contributor, which makes sense
considering its enormous population, and it is
responsible for manufacturing most of the
world's plastic toys and products. Almost
everything in the stores says "Made in China."
China and the United States produce most of the
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world's plastic pollution, with Germany and Brazil coming in 3rd and 4th, though they produce a
significantly lower amount. Although China is the largest producer of plastic pollution, up to
231,000 tons, "the daily plastic waste per person per day in China is one of the lowest at .12
kilograms a day - that's about 4 ounces of plastic a day per person, while countries like the US
and Germany produce the most plastic pollution per person. (Dorger)
We have all heard of the big pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean, also known as the GPGP. It
consists of around 1.8 trillion pieces of just
plastic, this also means that every person
contributes about 250 pieces (The Great Pacific
Garbage Patch). This is a very large
accumulation, but it is not the only one. There
are five major garbage patches. When the trash
and plastic end up in the ocean's https://www.theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/ currents it is
forced into piles by winds and currents. While these piles include other types of trash, plastic
is today's critical issue. Plastic all falls under the same category, although there are many
different kinds, "92% of the debris found in the patch consists of objects larger than 0.5 cm, and
three-quarters of the total mass is made of macro- and mega plastic. However, in terms of
object count, 94% of the total is represented by microplastics." (The GPGP)
Water bottles and plastic bags are obvious contenders to the waste problem because
they are single-use, mass production demons. We don't think of microplastics as much
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because they are not forged in factories; they are the end product of fragmented plastic or
threads from clothing. Microplastics are just as harmful as the bigger plastics, but they affect
our ecology differently. Animals, whether on land, in the sea or in the sky, are strangled or
choked by the larger plastic players. Microplastics leach chemicals into our water supply and
our soil. All species ingest these chemicals, which affects hormones. Microplastics come from
most products, like clothing "acrylic, nylon, spandex, and polyester are shed each time we wash
our clothes and are carried off to wastewater treatment plants or discharged to the open
environment.700,000 microscopic plastic fibers could be released into the environment during
each cycle of a washing machine"(UN Environment). The pressing matter of chemicals in our
hormone systems is especially concerning. "Chemical effects are especially problematic at
the decomposition stage. Additives such as phthalates and Bisphenol A (widely known as BPA)
leach out of plastic particles. In addition, nano-sized particles may cause inflammation,
traverse cellular barriers, and even cross highly selective membranes such as the blood-brain
barrier or the placenta. Within the cell, they can trigger changes in gene expression and
biochemical reactions"(UN Environment).
Solutions depend on individuals, a community, a country, and on all the countries of the
world. The five Rs are basic solutions. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot should be
executed every day. Refusing is saying no to plastic, and yes to
eco-friendly alternatives. Reducing is being more mindful of
the amount of plastic you buy. Reuse or repair means no more
disposable or one-use plastic -- use your plastic several
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times. Recycle is most common -- don't throw it away if it can be recycled. Lastly, rot: this means
compost frequently, as food scraps can decompose and fertilize new growth. As a community,
the word can be spread about how to implement these tactics. There are two things that need to
be considered and implemented: clean up and new alternatives. As a planet, we can work
together to come with ideas to clean up existing garbage, as well as create eco-friendly
alternatives, so that we won't continue to produce the plastic that is wounding our world.
We now have the technology to develop innovative techniques. Already people are
coming together to solve the plastic debacle. New discoveries have advanced the process. The
waxworm "can chew sizable holes in a plastic shopping bag within 40 minutes" (Arnold). This
serves as an option to biodegrade plastic. The enzymes in their bug bodies break down
polyethylene, and they are not affected. Mycelium is also a new way to develop an alternative to
plastic. Dr. Jenet Garcia shows the reality that "plastic is ubiquitous. It is in everything from
shoes, pills, to healthcare, to disposable syringes, and so to try to do away with it completely is
probably not an applicable option"(Garcia). This
is true. People rely on simple items made of
plastic, but they can use other things to replace
plastic that are just as convenient. Mycelium is a
mushroom that is now being implemented by
many corporations as an alternative to plastic packaging. Mycelium comes from the earth and
the purpose is that that is where it will return. Ecovative, the company that invented the
mushroom packaging, says that when people don't need the packaging anymore, it will
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decompose in a garden. This a great alternative when it comes to the non biodegradable plastic
that doesn't decompose for over 1000 years.
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Works Cited
Plastics in Our Oceans, www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plasticsarticle.html.
Business, CNN. “Mushrooms: The Future of Packaging.” Y ouTube, YouTube, 2 Jan. 2014,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACoA6vUD-h8.
Dorger, Samanda. “These Countries Produce the Most Plastic Waste.” TheStreet, 27 Feb. 2019,
www.thestreet.com/world/countries-most-plastic-waste-14878534.
Engler, Sarah. “10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution.” N
RDC, 17 Jan. 2019,
www.nrdc.org/stories/10-ways-reduce-plastic-pollution.
News, VICE. “The Monumental Effort To Rid The World's Oceans From Plastic | VICE on HBO.” YouTube,
YouTube, 6 Feb. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=74YQWthFz8g.
Ocean Cleanup. “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” The Ocean Cleanup,
www.theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/.
“Our Planet Is Drowning in Plastic Pollution. This World Environment Day, It's Time for a Change.”
#BeatPlasticPollution This World Environment Day,
www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/.
“Outdoor Cat | The Five R's: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot.” Meow Meow Tweet,
meowmeowtweet.com/blogs/blog/the-five-rs-refuse-reduce-reuse-recycle-rot.
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“Plastic Planet: How Tiny Plastic Particles Are Polluting Our Soil.” U
N Environment,
www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-planet-how-tiny-plastic-particles-are-p
olluting-our-soil.
Roberts, Callum. T he Ocean of Life: the Fate of Man and the Sea. Penguin Books, 2013.
“This Bug Can Eat Plastic. But Can It Clean Up Our Mess?” National Geographic, National Geographic
Society, 24 Apr. 2017,
news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/wax-worms-eat-plastic-polyethylene-trash-pollution-cle
anup/.
“Toxicity of Plastics.” B
lastic, www.blastic.eu/knowledge-bank/impacts/toxicity-plastics/.
US Department of Commerce, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “What Are
Microplastics?” NOAA's National Ocean Service, 13 Apr. 2016,
oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html.
