The Hidden Cost of Amazon Prime Days

Director, C. Meiffren-Swango  State, Meiffren-Swango, C., & Director, S. (2023, October 10). The hidden cost of Amazon Prime Days. Environment America. https://environmentamerica.org/articles/were-calling-on-amazon-to-reduce-plastic-and-put-wildlife-over-waste/ 

So much of the single-use plastic that we use doesn’t actually get recycled properly, and plastics, especially microplastics, end up everywhere. Researchers are still figuring out all the effects that these microplastics can have on the health of the ecosystem and on people. Just in 2021, Amazon produced 709 million pounds of plastic. While Amazon is making improvements and cutting back on the amount of plastic that it uses, it still makes a drastic impact on the environment when it comes to the amount of plastic waste that it produces, especially when only around 10% of that plastic will end up being recycled. So when it comes to Prime Day, where Amazon has major sales, it can have a major impact on the environment. 

This article was urging people to think more carefully about how much plastic they also use while talking about something like Prime Day. I think that it is something that we might not think about so much when it comes to ordering online, but it can have an impact on the environment. I, like many people, have ordered on Amazon and from other online retailers, but the article makes me think about how much plastic is actually being used when it comes to shipping the product to me. It is important for corporations to start to phase out single-use plastics and start to have more sustainable practices, so companies like Amazon do not produce hundreds of millions of waste that ends up in our atmosphere or oceans. 

 

One Solution to the Plastic Crisis May Lie in Bugs’ Bellies

Chiu, A. (2023, November 16). One Solution to the Plastic Crisis may lie in Bugs’ Bellies https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/11/17/plastic-eating-bugs-recycling-pollution/ 

New research has shown that bacteria and fungi might be a new way to solve the problem of microplastics in the environment. Because bacteria are continuously surrounded by growing amounts of microplastics, some microorganisms are now able to eat plastics. Research has shown that some organisms can now live off of different plastic products. Many of these organisms will be able to break down these plastics into biomass, which could then be used to make new products. However, these microorganisms can be picky about what type of plastics they eat, which might force recycling centers to organize the plastics that they get. Additionally, these organisms can be very slow at breaking down the plastic. 

I find this to be one of the most interesting options for dealing with the plastic issue in the world. While the main way to reduce the impact of plastic on the environment is to reduce and stop the production of plastic, this might be a more natural way they get rid of and recycle plastic particles. However, this is very new research and from what they have already found, it can be challenging for these microorganisms to break down a lot of plastics. And even when they are broken down, they still have waste that needs to be used or disposed of in some way. It is a very exciting idea, especially with the amount of microplastics that are everywhere and how difficult plastics can be to get rid of, but it is also so new, that we need other ways and reduce of the amount of plastic we produce. 

Democrats Unveil “Most Comprehensive Plan Ever” to Adress Plastic Problem

Winters, J. (2023, October 27). Democrats unveil “most comprehensive plan ever” to address plastics problem. Grist. https://grist.org/politics/democrats-unveil-most-comprehensive-plan-ever-to-address-plastics-problem/ 

Three Democrats in Congress proposed the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023, which would help reduce single-use plastics while also holding companies responsible for the amount of plastic waste that they create. Under this bill, companies would have to pay fees to an organization that would focus on consumer recycling of plastics, while also creating a system for rewards for recycling plastics from things like plastic bottles. This bill sets more specific targets for the reduction of plastic from companies, making them reduce their plastic production by 25% by 2032. The bill also prioritizes outreach to communities that have been particularly affected by plastic pollution. 

This article is very informative about a new bill that targets reducing single-use plastics in the United States, especially when it comes to big corporations that produce a lot of plastics, leading to global greenhouse gas emissions. This bill is very important and a good step in Congress to pass a bill that focuses on reducing plastics at an industrial scale. While many people can recycle, reducing the creation of plastic is where plastic reduction has to start. Putting limits and monetary incentives on companies will greatly reduce the amount of plastics created, and therefore put back into our environment. I think that this bill is very promising, while maybe it might have trouble being passed in the House, it is a good start to creating a federal change in the regulation of plastics. 

Sounding the Alarm About Disposable Plastics in the Health Care Industry

Shelton, J. (2023, October 10). Sounding the alarm about disposable plastic in the Health Care Industry. YaleNews. https://news.yale.edu/2023/10/10/sounding-alarm-about-disposable-plastic-health-care-industry 

Plastic waste in the medical field is a big issue, particularly because the majority of medical supplies have to be re-sterilized before it is used again. With misinformation about preventing infection, there is a misguided belief that supplies in the medical field can not be reused and recycled due to the belief that it prevents infection and bacteria from spreading. Jodi Sherman, a doctor and environmentalist, proposes three recommendations that address changing the guidelines the FDA sets to help change the idea about reusable and recycled medical supplies. She ends by saying that the world has to find a balance between patient health and the planet’s health. 

This article brings up many interesting ideas about waste created in places we might not think about. It’s hard to contemplate how much waste is used in the medical field unless you have seen it yourself. It is an interesting concept that we should spend more time on when thinking about recycling and finding a more sustainable practice for the medical field. Additionally, the medical field creates a lot of waste, but these plastics that do not break down also are going to hurt us in the long run, with us either breathing in the micro-plastics or how it will affect climate change. 

California’s Plastic Bag Ban is Failing. Here’s Why.

Los Angeles Times. (2023, August 24). California’s plastic bag ban is failing. here’s why. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-08-24/whats-the-deal-with-single-use-plastic-bag-bans 

The article written by the LA Times describes why the recent plastic bag ban was not fully successful when it comes to plastic reduction. These bags are very challenging to recycle and often are thrown in regular recycling bins when they need to be removed and recycled at a different facility than a regular recycling center. In 2016, there was a ban on certain types of plastic bags and people were charged for the bags as well, however during the pandemic the plastic bag ban backslides and has become an issue again. While the ban has reduced some plastic bags on shorelines, CalRecycle reported in a 2021 report that there were still 11 pounds of plastic bags per person in California alone. Additionally, the bags that should be recycled often don’t end up at recycling centers. The article ends by having some ways to help this issue in California, like new initiatives that would increase the price of plastic bags and give money to recycling centers. 

This article brings up a critical issue of plastic bags, particularly in California. Plastic bags are some of the biggest pollution creators and are often not reused as they should be. They are not as durable or reusable as other alternatives, like paper bags which are still not great for the environment. I think this issue is something that we could fix if there were more incentives for recycling and reusing these bags, like increasing the price for profit for recycling plans and incentives to bring your own bags. Additionally, using and buying these bags when we go to the grocery store creates a need for them, which just emits more greenhouse gases when they are created. 

The Rich World’s Plastic Addiction Has A Social Impact

(2023, August 14th). The rich world’s plastic addiction has a social impact. Impact.economist.com.

https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/social-sustainability/the-rich-worlds-plastic-a-ddiction-has-a-social-impact

One of the biggest issues when it comes to plastic waste is how countries will export their waste to other countries. For example, EU countries will export their waste to Turkey or countries in Asia or from the US down to Latin America and Mexico. Even if this plastic waste gets to a recycling center, the centers are not clean, and plastic particles continue to enter the atmosphere, directly affecting the workers at the center as well. One way to solve the social problem of plastic waste is plastic credits, where businesses can buy plastic credits from projects that use “waste-pickers” that would be able to benefit from recycling the waste. This program was tested in different countries, one of them being Colombia where they were able to recycle plastics and clean up coastlines to make recycled plastic kayaks. 

With only around 9% of plastics being recycled currently, it is annoying to see bigger countries export their waste to other countries that might not be able to properly, or safely, recycle plastic waste. This exportation of waste is directly related to environmental science because of how improper disposal and recycling have affected the environment. However, the solution proposed in the article could benefit a lot of people in smaller countries where waste is exported, like Colombia. Unfortunately, with these programs, people still need to make sure these programs are actually being implemented and not just taken advantage of by major corporations to say they are doing something to help the environment. This solution might be able to help, if the system is appropriately controlled by a third group that would make sure companies actually follow this program. With the impact that plastic waste is having on the environment, this could be a quickly put-in-place solution that could be the start to recycling plastic waste. Nevertheless, the actual end to plastic problems has to start at the root of the issue, like banning all single-use plastic products, which can make a direct difference on the Earth.

A Solution to the Plastic Problem That’s Not Just Recycling.

Jones, B. (2023, June 7). Finally, a solution to plastic pollution that’s not just recycling. Vox. https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2023/6/7/23743640/plastic-pollution-un-treaty-oceans-waste

With the impact that plastic is causing on Earth, different countries have taken different approaches to try and combat the immense impact. However, many countries were to have a global treaty, where all countries vow to limit the amount of plastic they produce and consume. Some countries and U.S. states have already taken steps to reduce the amount of plastic, like prohibiting plastic bags and microplastics in things like shower gels and other personal care items. One solution to the plastic problem that Nicky Davies, executive director at Plastic Solutions Fund, proposes is a reuse economy, where instead of single-use plastics, you get reusable containers for food and drinks that you could bring back and use again. This solution can have a heavy investment, but this type of system is already in place in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and parts of Africa. While it might be hard to come to a consensus and enforce, a treaty to limit plastics could work. 

As we know, much of plastic ends up in our environment and is constantly affecting our atmosphere. I think that this article proposes a strong suggestion of what we could do to stop the effects of plastic. By using the reuse economy idea as talked about in the article, we could greatly reduce the number of single-use plastics that are polluting our environment and affecting our biodiversity. Additionally, a global treaty to reduce plastic waste could help everyone greatly. Getting all countries to agree to this type of treaty is likely to be difficult, especially when some countries rely on fossil fuel burning, which is how plastic is made. However, it could greatly decrease the impact of plastics on the environment which could benefit almost everyone in the world. 

 

Plastic Particles Found in Ocean

Paddison, Laura. (2023, March 8). “More than 170 Trillion Plastic Particles Found in the Ocean as Pollution Reaches ‘unprecedented’ Levels.” CNN, Cable News Network, 8 Mar. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/world/ocean-plastic-pollution-climate-intl/index.html. 

Research collected over a 40-year time frame from mostly the North Pacific and North Atlantic shows that since 2005, the oceans in our world have seen an unprecedented increase in plastic pollution, which is now threatening the health of the world’s oceans. This “plastic smog” has been caused by 171 trillion plastic particles that would weigh around 2.3 tons if put all together. A very small percentage of plastics are actually recycled, and most plastics end up in our oceans. This is a huge issue because it is affecting marine life and also letting toxic chemicals seep into the ocean. The production of plastics is also burning fossil fuels at an enormous rate, causing more global warming. 

Emphasizing the overall waste and impact that plastic products have on our oceans, the article goes into greater detail about how our environment will be altered with the continual use of plastics. This is an environmental issue because the production of plastics creates significant greenhouse gases due to the burning of fossil fuel that is needed for its production. Additionally, plastics are affecting the very chemistry of oceans, allowing for toxic chemicals to be released into the ocean. Without stopping the overall production of plastic products, the environment will continue to be affected by the amount of plastics that are produced yearly, making the negative impact on humans worse. We need to do something quickly about the amount of plastics that are affecting our Earth so much.

Unintended Consequences of Recycling Plastics

Chiu, A. (2023, May 22). The little-known unintended consequence of recycling plastics. Washington Post.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/05/22/plastic-recycling-microplastic-pollution/

In a recent study focusing on recycling facilities in the United Kingdom, researchers found that an unintended consequence of recycling some plastics could be that small plastic particles could be released into the environment. Additionally, recycling plastics is not as effective as some might think. Instead, only a very small amount, anywhere from 5-9%, of plastics are actually recycled. However, the research was only done at one recycling facility, but the article still states how important this information is for the future of plastic development and recycling. The facility decided to add a filtration system in the recycling plant’s water system to try to filter out the very small particles that were being emitted into the water and air, but not all recycling facilities have the ability to install filtration systems. 

Many people turn to recycling when talking about the impact that plastic has had on the environment, but this article helps highlight that a very small percentage of plastics are actually being recycled. Even so, small particles of plastics, even when recycled, are breaking down and being emitted into the atmosphere around us. The overall effect that plastics have on the environment should be causing so incentive to change the way that people look at plastics. If we really want to save our planet, countries around the world need to stop producing plastics that are just imported back into the environment and causing drastic effects on our natural resources. We as a whole have already created enough damage, and stopping the production of plastics could greatly help our environment.  

The Plastic Problem

Andreoni, M. (2023, January 6). The plastic problem. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/climate/plastics-climate-pollution.html 

The development of plastic in modern society has made resources more widely available. It has developed modern medicine, but the impact of plastic has detrimental effects on climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Countries are now working on a treaty that might reduce the amount of plastic in the world to help prevent change in our ecosystems. Some countries with big fossil fuel producers, which are used to make plastics, favor a volunteer recycling treaty. However, about 40% of plastics are non-recyclable plastics. Whereas, other countries are pushing for a treaty to reduce the amount of plastic produced in total.  

The article showcases two developing opinions on what to do with plastic production. The article is related to environmental studies because the production and use of plastic around the world have had a great impact on our ecosystem, like loss of biodiversity and climate change because of the greenhouse gases the production of plastic releases. It makes sense that the biggest contributor to climate change in the world also would not want to stop producing plastics, but the impact of plastics is far more important, particularly now. With the amount that global warming and pollution have already affected our communities, now is the time to change how we use plastics. While the U.S. is one of the countries that will probably resist a very limiting treaty, it is important that we are still apart and help obtain this bigger development.