SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
DISCOVER SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
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MISSION STATEMENT
We focus on how much single use plastic is offered in our county. It is important that we consider how much single use plastic waste is used daily to open the eyes of others to this sustainability issue. The first step to a problem is admitting it.
Our grocery stores have indeed raised the price to ten cents a bag when packaging groceries to go home, some restaurants have made cardboard containers to go home with you, and some places have changed from plastic straws to paper . However, we can do more. We looked into the amount of plastic bags used when getting your fruits and vegetables from a grocery store, as well as plastic containers sent to go home from restaurants. Along with that the amount of plastic straws we use in just one day.
It is our mission to educate as many people as possible about single-use plastic and the harm it is doing to our environment. We would like to steer people away from disposable plastic in all of its forms and provide plastic-free alternatives to every product that poses a problem to our environment.
Are we perfect? No we are not. Of course we are striving for 100% plastic-free living, but as of right now it is not possible. However we are trying our best to work towards it. Our team has been continuously looking for alternatives in every way possible. One little change can make a huge difference.
We would like to analyze the amount of single use plastic an average person goes through daily and suggest ways to change that, one person can influence the next just as we have as a team.
Where do we go from here? The plastic-free movement has gained a lot of attention over the years however we still have a long way to go. It is understandable that every person has different perspectives, values and budgets. However getting rid of single use plastic can be beneficial to everyone. It helps with our environment entirely due to the greenhouse gases plastic manufacturers emit, such as carbon dioxide. It can save tons of money as well. It is all just about creating a new habit. Single use plastic has just become a bad habit that can be broken and that is what our team is trying our best to do.
As a team we hope to provide our community with a clean and safe environment by tackling these sustainability issues one by one. We will implement more eco-friendly living styles and keep you all updated on how we plan to take down single-use plastic in our daily lives.
INTRO
The Story
Single-use plastic products are goods that are made to be disposed of following their one-time use. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, drink bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, drink lids, straws, and stirrers were among some of the most common items. As a society, we become reliant on these products without even realizing, or being educated on the alternatives. Click here to learn the details behind the image at the top of this page.
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While some may argue that some plastic is recyclable, the reality is that more than 90% of plastic is not recycled. Instead, it ends up in landfills. Additionally, of the most common single-use plastic goods, most aren't even recyclable because of the chemicals they contain (Natural Resources Defense Council).
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It is the objective of Road to Zero to drive corporations and consumers away from single-use plastic products through education and innovation. We believe that if consumers were more eco-aware of the harms of single-use plastic, we are taking another step towards a more sustainable life for all.
Take some time to explore the blog, read something interesting, and feel free to reach out if you would like to collaborate on a project together.
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Sources:
https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
THE PROBLEM WITH SINGLE USE PLASTICS
The problem with single use, or disposable plastic, is that plastic never goes away. It is not biodegradable, and only breaks up into smaller pieces of plastic, while all the time absorbing chemicals that can be toxic to human and animal life. While recycling plastic has its own environmental issues, over 90% of plastic is never recycled after it is discarded (McClure. 2021). Some examples of single use plastic items that cause damage to communities and environments are, plastic straws, plastic bread bags, styrofoam takeaway containers, plastic shopping bags, and much more.
These discarded pieces of plastic pollute our water sources, food, and even our air when burned. Single use plastics make up 40% of all plastics produced each year (Parker, 2021). Many of these products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years. Only about 9% of single use plastic waste is ever recycled. The vast 90% of plastic that never gets recycled is either burned-releasing into the air we breath, tons of toxic chemicals, such as dioxins, furans, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls- or dumped into a landfill, leeching these toxic chemicals into our groundwater. As commerce grows, so do plastic production rates. Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years. Plastic production has increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050. Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world (Parker, 2021).
From birds to fish to land animals, millions of animals are killed by plastic pollution each year. Nearly 700 species are known to have been affected by plastic pollution, including endangered species (Parker, 2021). An overwhelming amount of animal deaths are caused by entanglement or starvation, due to plastic pollution. Animals such as seals, whales, and turtles are strangled by discarded fishing gear or thrown away six-pack rings. Many microplastics have been the cause of digestive tract blockage and punctured organs in many sea animals. Microplastics can even pack the stomach of these animals until they lose the desire to eat and starve to death.
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Not only are we affecting the environment in our own neighborhoods, but the single-use plastic trade has resulted in plastic pollution that disproportionately affects poorer and disadvantaged communities all around the world. Earlier this the United Nations Environment Programme launched a scathering report about plastic and environmental inequality. This report brings to light how countries within the Global South are being force-fed plastic pollution by wealthy countries.
In this report, titled Neglected: Environmental Justice Impacts of Plastic Pollution, the truth about unethical practices of the plastic industry are exposed. One such truth is the capitalization of “false solutions” such as recycling when, in fact, single-use plastic is more likely to be shipped off to developing countries than being recycled (Dena, 2021). Also highlighted, is the impact of plastic at every stage of its production, on underprivileged communities- from the extraction of oil, to its disposal in the environment, and finally its incineration, if it ever makes it that far. In response to the findings of this report, Greenpeace Africa Pan-African plastic lead, Angelo Louw had this to say, “This report is a big wake up call as far as the extent to which the plastic industry is willing to go make a quick buck, at the expense of everyone else – especially people of colour, who are the majority in these types of communities and countries. They have no consideration for the disadvantaged communities that they are driven even further into disarray”. Mr. Louw then goes on to say, “The plastic industry even bullies our governments, who are trying their best to manage the plastic pollution crisis, into bending their laws so that they can continue with their profit making agenda. Last year, we exposed an example of corporate attempts to destabilise Africa’s plastic-free ambitions, where the American Chemistry Council lobbied to include clauses in on-going Kenya-US free trade agreement negotiations which undermine their single-use plastic bans. In countries like the DRC, corporations are ignoring anti-plastic legislation and this is forcing governments to make large investments into the enforcement of these laws. Why should our countries be burdened with the additional cost? Why can’t corporations respect our laws? Why can’t they respect our decision to achieve a healthy life?”
The issue with plastic pollution has gotten far out of hand. The elimination of single-use plastics would directly eliminate the vast majority of plastic pollution. The simple truth is, the rate at which we produce single-use plastics will soon become un-sustainable.
References
Dena, H. (2021, July 15). Greenpeace Africa reacts to alarming UN plastic report findings. Greenpeace Africa. https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/13406/greenpeace-africa-reacts-to-alarming-un-plastic-report-findings/.
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McClure, M. (2021, November 22). Everything you should know about single-use plastic. Greenpeace Africa. https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/blogs/14052/everything-you-should-know-about-single-use-plastic/.
Parker, L. (2021, May 3). Plastic pollution facts and information. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution.
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Waste Staff. (2019). California Lawmakers Fail to Pass Comprehensive Single-use Plastic Reform. Waste360,N.PAG. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.libproxy.csustan.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=3263358b-5e44-452d-b448-e43599f86960%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=138648953&db=8gh
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution.
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Solutions
As many of us are aware, we often tend to use new plastic items such as grocery bags and food wrappers every time we go to the store or open a food item. We also put food that could easily be washed into plastic bags, then just throw it away when we get home. Single use plastics, maybe even known as disposable plastics, are materials that are used once before getting thrown out. Not only do we do this with bags and wrappers, we do it with water bottles, plastic forks and spoons, etc… Although we are all guilty of this, it could easily be avoided.
There are many steps we can take in order to reduce the use of single use plastics. We could organize some sort of community events which raise awareness to this problem. The communities could come together and help make steps towards change. We could also spread the word to the general public on how to reduce their single-use plastic consumption. They could do this by using reusable water bottles, bringing their own bags into stores, choosing not to ask for a plastic straw, and buying food from smaller stores instead of using pre-packaged foods. These all could help tremendously if we were able to get the community to do it as well.
Researcher
MAYA COSTON
I'm a senior at California State University, Stanislaus studying Communications with a focus in Public Relations and Media. I am a very approachable and dependable person. I have an interest in technology communication because I believe it is the new forefront of modern communication. When I am not tending to the pressures of professional life, I enjoy camping with my family or spending time with my pets at home.