Op-Ed
Plastics can be found everywhere in today’s society, from common uses in your house, such as water bottles and food containers, to being utilized by large companies for packaging or producing. In short, plastics help make our world go round. These products are utilized and produced on such a large scale but where do they all go in the end? Many of these products end up scattered throughout our environment. Many consumers are unaware of the effects plastics truly have on both themselves and the environment. For starters, plastics are not decomposable. This means that even the first piece of plastic that was created over a hundred years ago is still around today and every piece that followed will stay as well.
Although many of the plastics that have been created get scattered throughout our planet, this issue is more than just seeing a water bottle along the side of the freeway. According to Ocean Conservancy there is currently 150 million metric tons of plastic currently circulating around the world’s oceans. On top of that, an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic are continuously being dumped into the ocean annually. This significantly affects the marine life in our oceans. Roughly every year a 100 million marine animals die due to plastic waste. Not only does a significant number of marine animals die annually, but many animals consume plastics by mistaking these products for food. According to an article by Condor Ferrie, whose sources were Ecowatch, National Geographics, and OceanCrusader, an estimated 12,000 to 14,000 tons of plastic is mistalky eaten by just the fish who reside in the North Pacific.
This not only negatively impacts marine animals and our environment, but it also directly affects humans as a whole. Many products that are utilized today are composed of resources that come from the ocean. Mainly, the ocean provides a substantial amount of food for societies across the globe. A study by the EU Science Hub estimates that 154 million tons of fish are consumed a year. This could negatively impact the health of individuals across the globe if these societies were to eat fish which have consumed plastic. Another study published by Environmental Science and Technology estimated that the average individual consumes between 40,000 and 50,000 microplastic particles annually. This estimate nearly doubles when considering how many particles we inhale. Hence, the plastic that we have been taking for granted and utilizing for the past a hundred years have slowly been making their way back to us in different forms.
This just goes to show that the plastics that humans have been using do not just disappear once we throw them away. Instead these plastics have come full circle and are now beginning to affect not only humans but also marine life on such a large scale. However, there is a solution to help fight against the plastic waste that is polluting our planet. The first and by far the most important would be to reduce, reuse and recycle the plastics that we are currently utilizing everyday. Currently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that roughly 8.7% of plastic that is used annually is recycled. This amount is relatively small compared to the amount of plastic being produced and utilized daily.
Many people do not consider plastic pollution a very pressing matter. However, these products are harming not only us but also animals at an alarming rate. Therefore, more cities, states, and even countries should focus on becoming environmentally conscious consumers in hopes of protecting themselves, the environment, and future generations. Not only will recycling help clean our environment but it will also help us fight another pressing matter simultaneously. Recycling will significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emission, air pollution and water pollution which could be beneficial in fighting climate change as well. Lastly, utilizing less plastic will also help protect and conserve raw materials used to produce these items. Therefore, the news surrounding plastic waste should be more publicized to help spread awareness to hopefully reach the vast age groups and culture to help come together and save both our planet and ourselves.
Links:
https://pubs-acs-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b01517
https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/plastics-in-the-ocean/
