The Problem with Plastic

For many of us, plastics have been integrated into our lives since the day we were born. We drank our milk out of them, plastic comprised our training wheels on bikes, and our TV dinners were frozen in them. Though plastics as we know them today have only been around for 65 years, their utility has quickly made our lives easier, and products cheaper. 
 

A History of Plastic

This wide spread use of plastic in the United States began in the 1940’s during World War II. With limited supplies available, especially natural rubber, the need for an alternative was in great demand. Companies began to experiment with the highly moldable compound cellulose acetate. Eventually scientists produced the plastics that we know today composed of fossil oils (ie. polyethylene for plastic bags and water bottles). Now the plastics industry is the 3^rd largest manufacturing industry in the United States, and its products take the place of more natural materials such as wood and metal, to reduce costs and increase efficiency in our motor vehicles.

Downfalls to Plastics

The production of plastics requires large amounts of energy. The majority of plastics are comprised of fossil oil and gas, while their production requires energy on top of that consuming a total of 4% of the world’s petroleum each year.

There is no effective solution to end-of-life management for plastics. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 32 million tons of plastic waste was generated in 2012, with 43% of that waste composed of containers and packaging. Unfortunately, only 9% of this plastic waste was recovered for recycling.

Plastic takes a long time to degrade. While much of what our society throws out can decompose, plastics take a very long time to do so. Estimates show that plastic grocery bags can photodegrade (break down of the material via sunlight) in approximately 10-20 years, while things like plastic bottles can take 450 years. This does not mean that the plastic is gone, it means that the plastics will break down into tiny pieces of plastic and remain in our soil. Compare the decomposition of plastic to that of an orange peel which will decompose in a few weeks, and is something we can grow food out of in the future.

Plastics end up in places that they shouldn’t. Many of us have heard of the pacific gyre, a pit of plastic the size of Texas in the middle of the ocean. There are 5 gyres in our oceans that collect waste. Plastics in our oceans lead to major health consequences to marine life, as well as ours. These plastics are broken down into very small pieces, allowing them to be consumed by many creatures starting with the smallest, and progressing up the food chain causing the animals at the top of the food chain to have the highest concentration plastic particles within them. The plastic is a known carcinogenic to ocean animals. As many of us know, plastic bags and balloons floating in the ocean can look like jellyfish, which are the meal of choice for sea turtles, causing damage to these organisms.

Recycling and its Downfalls

While recycling has its benefits, it is not a perfect solution.

   

       Recycling is a short term solution. Many of the products that we recycle do not actually return to be what they were initially. Plastic bags often become things like composite board for decks, while water bottles can become clothing, or carpet. Eventually all these things will end up in the landfill once they have reached the end of their life.

         Many items cannot be recycled in our current recycling system. For example plastic bags cannot be recycled in with the rest of the contents of the bin because the “cruchable” plastic will jam up the machines in the recycling plant. Furthermore, mixed plastics are difficult to recycle, making them less likely to be reused.

 

         Not everyone knows how to recycle. I was lucky enough to grow up somewhere that taught us how to recycle and the habit stuck. Many people do not know what can be recycled, or do not have the resources to do so.

Reducing our Consumption

The greatest impact we can have on plastic's environmental effects is to reduce our consumption of them. Purchasing items that don’t have plastic packaging, reducing our consumption of new goods that contain plastic, and bringing reusable bags, bottles, and other storage containers instead of using their plastic counterparts will reduce the amount of plastics in our lives. 

It is amazing to think that in such a short time plastics have become such a central part our lives. The rapidly occurring detrimental effects they have on our environment, makes it essential that we make better choices now to stop them from accruing. Human’s lived on this earth for a very long time without plastics, and we have the tools to do it again.

For information on how to recycle plastic in your area visit contact your waste management company.

References

Barry, C. (August 20, 2009) Plastic Breaks Down in Ocean, After All—And Fast. National Geographic. Retrieved from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html

History of Plastics. SPI The plastics trade association. Retrieved from: http://www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics/content.cfm?ItemNumber=670

Hopewell, J., Dvorak, R., Kosior, E. Plastics Recycling: challenges and opportunities. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society of Biological Sciences. (2009), 364(1526), 2115-2126.

Plastics. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (February 28, 2014) Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/plastics.htm#how

The truth about recycling. The Economist. (June 7^th, 2007) Retrieved from: http://www.economist.com/node/9249262