The danger of plastic is frequently denied and overlooked. Why? Convenience?
Look back at old movies and TV shows before plastic was used in everyday situations. They used to use recyclable resources- wood, metal, etc- to make things.
You may say, oh plastic is recyclable! But think about it... it is one-generation-reuse for the most part. A bottle can be melted and made into another product - but nothing that is for food grade use. After a while it is so contaminated it can't be used for much (not to mention that burning plastic makes dioxins- another toxin that harms humans and the environment).
Also, think about if you think about it how much of plastic really goes towards recycling? A lot gets into the gutters into storm drain inlets into rivers and out to sea.
Plastic harms many things, whether the general public realizes it or not. I just want to blog about one thing this time. It is plastic in the oceans and waterways. There are several known areas in the Pacific Ocean where plastic has accumulated, taken by the creatio current 1,000 miles off our Californian coast. There is plastic that floats and plastic that sinks. The plastic lined potato chip bags sink for example- around 50% of plastic sinks and once it sinks it is stuck in the ocean forever and it does not go away, but it does impact marine life. Another thing to think of is that organic pollutants stick to the plastic and get transported other places and makes an impact there.
Plastics, like diamonds, are forever. They don’t biodegrade. An estimated 63 pounds of plastics for each American enters landfills each year. Less than 4% of plastics are recycled in any way. The triangle of arrows around a number doesn’t automatically signify that the plastic product can be recycled! Only types 1 and 2 are easily recyclable.
Marine ecosystems are harmed by plastic debris. In the Central North Pacific, broken, degraded pieces of plastic outweigh surface zooplankton by 6 to 1. 90% of Laysan Albatross chick carcasses and regurgitated stomach contents contain plastics. Fish and other seabirds mistake plastics for food. Plastic debris release chemical additives and plasticizers into the ocean. Plastic also adsorbs hydrophobic pollutants, like PCBs, DDT. These pollutants bioaccumulate and biomagnify up the food chain, and find their way into the foods we eat.
Most plastic products begin as pre-production pellets. The United States alone manufactures more than 100 billion pounds annually. Each pound can contain between 10,000 and 20,000 pellets! Pellets have been found on every beach in North America. We are a culture immortalized by plastic.
Although plastic products benefit our lives in the medical industry, safety equipment and other technologies, it is imperative that the impact and long term effect plastic debris no longer be ignored.
Did you know that 60-80% of marine debris is plastic? There are at least 300 marine species that think the plastic they see in the ocean is food and they eat it. Sometimes it kills them sometimes it impacts their offspring. Plastics are endocrin disruptors. That is a topic for another blog...
What can we do to help? Make governmental officials aware of the problem.
Do research...there are many Internet websites with information- here are three:
http://www.plasticdebris.org/
http://www.plasticsareforever.org
http://www.algalita.org
In November 2003, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) received a grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to implement a project designed to assess and begin to reduce sources of plastic debris and other discarded materials in urban runoff. This project, titled Plastic Debris, Rivers to Sea, is being implemented with the help of the California Coastal Commission.
There are Senate Bills out there that can help, tell your Senator to support SB 258- the plastic nerdle bill- it is on the Governer's desk right now.
What can you do to help in every day life??
- Bring your own cloth or recycled grocery bags to the store.
- Keep litter, leaves, cheimcals and debris out of street gutters and storm drains.
- Sweep sidewalks, don’t hose them. If you hose it down ensure it goes and stays in a plant area.
- Use natural pest killers in your garden, such as ladybugs, decollate snails, or praying mantis eggs. Try not to use pesticides. How pesticides impact humans should be another blog in itself!
- Dispose of used oil, antifreeze, paints, and other household chemicals at a hazardous waste facility, not in storm drains.
- Keep vehicles well maintained. Clean up spilled brake fluid, oil, grease, and antifreeze that your car might produce.
- Wash your car on the lawn so that the water sinks in the ground. Use environmentally friendly cleaners.
- Purchase household detergents and cleaners that are low in phosphorous to reduce the amount of nutrients discharged into our lakes, streams and coastal waters.
- Buy in bulk. Re-use when possible. Reduce consumption by avoiding excessively packaged products.
- HOUSEHOLD CHALLENGE: create a 100% recyclable grocery list. Imagine all of your household waste going into the recycle bin!
Seen the commercials on TV to save the use of plastic- do you know why and who backs that? The petroleum industry...need I say more?
Thanks for your interest. We can all do our little part to help ...and cummulatively we will do a lot to help our generation and our future generations...