Tackling the Plastic Challenge
June is National Ocean Month. As you head for the beach and other outdoor activities this summer, take the time to rethink, reuse, and reduce your use of plastic. This article features some easy and innovative ways for reducing plastic use for healthier people and planet.
The Challenge
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the average American creates 270 pounds of plastic waste every year. Worldwide, over 300 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually. Since plastic was introduced in the 1950s, over 5 million tons has ended up in landfills or the natural environment.
Plastic is made from fossil fuels and does not biodegrade naturally. It breaks down into smaller pieces, i.e. microplastics, that wind up in landfills, rivers, inland waterways, and oceans. Plastic particles are in the soil, air, water, are ingested by marine animals, and ultimately enter the food chain for humans. Bottled water has even more microplastic than tap water. Everything wrapped in plastic is likely to contain microplastic.
Things You Can Do
Reduce Plastic Use
Using less plastic is the best way to curb microplastic pollution. Reducing consumption of bottled water is the number one thing people can do to reduce ingestion of plastics. Instead, fill up a reusable stainless steel water jug to keep yourself hydrated. Also, try to utilize more sustainable glass or stainless steel containers. Wash out and reuse food jars. Homemade or purchased beeswax wraps can replace plastic wrap or bags. Repurpose tote bags for groceries and produce. Ditch single use plastics—water bottles, straws, utensils, takeout containers, plastic bags, etc. Reuse plastic food containers for unheated, solid foods. Replace worn out clothes with natural fibers, ideally secondhand. Wash your clothes less to reduce the amount of microfibers from polyester clothing heading down the drain.
Try powdered or soap bars for dishwashing, laundry, and bathing to reduce plastic bottle consumption.
Support Habits and Policies to Address Plastic
These include reducing single use plastic, as well as innovations for recycling, packaging and circular economy.
Speak up to educate family and friends. Share ideas for reducing plastic usage and the benefits.
Call your congressional representatives and ask them to support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act ( Senate bill 984, House of Representatives Bill 2238).
Cleaning up Plastic Pollution
Help clean up a beach, river, or other waterway. California Coastal Cleanup is typically the third Saturday of September.
Recycling Plastic
While recycling helps some, only 9% of plastic is recycled, which is an energy consuming, costly process. To improve recycling efficiency, be sure to clean the food and any other remains from plastic containers put in the recycling bin.
Current demand for recycled plastic scrap is at an all-time low. Some plastic cannot be recycled, especially if certain chemicals or materials have been added, or if it has begun to degrade in quality from repeated recycling.
“Making and using less plastic in the first place is one of the most effective means of solving this issue,” Monterey Bay Aquarium Chief Scientist Kyle Van Houtan says. “It may be virtually impossible to remove existing microplastic from the deep sea. But when we slow the flow of plastic from land, we can help prevent the increasing accumulation of plastic in our global ocean.”
Check out these links for more information about the plastic challenge and innovative ways to address it.
Sustain-A-Palooza: Acting for the Ocean–Seafood, Plastic & Climate , presented by Claudia Pineda Tibbs, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium – Ocean Plastic Pollution
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
A Sailboat That Cleans Ocean Plastic Waste
World Oceans Day: Plastic Waste Stays Closer to the Coast Than We Thought