plastic

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The Plastic Problem.

Andreoni, Manuela. “The Plastic Problem.” The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/climate/plastics-climate-pollution.html.

 

Plastics are a jack of all trades used throughout our daily lives, from clothes to medicine. However, almost half of all plastics are single-use and end up in our landfills, oceans, and even in organisms, including humans. Negotiations are currently underway to decide what plastic management system should be in place worldwide. The two significant proposals are the “High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution,” which aims to set a binding target for the amount of plastic each country can produce. The other proposal is put forth by fossil fuel producers like the US and Saudi Arabia, which seek to focus on recycling plastic and have voluntary commitments rather than enforced goals like the Montreal proposal, which has shown success in preventing climate change. 

To fight climate change, goals must be set with punishments for those who fail to reach those goals. For too long has, the planet suffered at the expense of greedy nations like the United States, who seek to profit while destroying our planet. While recycling helps fight climate change, it could be more effective in making the significant change needed to slow it on a large scale. If the United States lowers its plastic production, we can focus on getting the current plastic out of the environment rather than stopping new plastic from entering the atmosphere. While turning to alternatives for plastic will be a hard endeavor due to our reliance on them in our daily lives, a sacrifice must be made to protect the environment. Plastics have had many beneficial uses like revolutionizing medicine, but there needs to be innovation in more eco-friendly ways to take the place of plastics in the United States.

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McDonald’s Is Testing a Change for Its Cups on Its ‘Journey Towards Good.’

Deb Kiner, dkiner@pennlive.com. “McDonald’s Is Testing a Change for Its Cups on Its ‘Journey Towards Good.’” Pennlive, 27 Jan. 2023, www.pennlive.com/food/2023/01/mcdonalds-is-testing-a-change-for-its-cups-on-its-journey-towards-good.html.

Mcdonald’s is getting rid of plastic straws in favor of new lids that don’t need straws. The new lids are part of Mcdonald’s journey to reduce plastic waste. Many praise Mcdonald’s for being innovative in reducing plastic waste by using these new kids on most of their drinks and using straws that make up a large portion of plastic waste from fast food restaurants. On the other hand, many people see the lids as virtue signaling because their cups are still pliable, and they only get rid of a small amount of overall plastic with their publicity stunt. Moreover, many restaurants still give straws with their cups making the movement redundant.

Mcdonald’s is on the right track regarding reducing plastic waste with the new lids. However, they are doing it in small steps that are seen as publicity stunts rather than attempts to decrease the amount of plastic waste they produce. If Mcdonald’s was serious about reducing plastic waste, they would eliminate the plastic cups alongside their straw and use more eco-friendly packaging. On top of that should focus on more major pollutants of plastic, such as shipping their food products that use cellophane plastics. All the food they receive comes with this plastic, and they should look for alternatives to reduce their waste. They also need to be more strict with their restaurants regarding reducing plastic, as only some restaurants follow the regulations, such as not giving straws, which defeats the purpose of their new lids. If Mcdonald’s wishes to significantly impact plastic waste in the United States, it must come up with more innovative solutions than sippy cup plastic lids.

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Advanced’ Recycling of Plastic Using High Heat and Chemicals Is Costly and Environmentally Problematic, a New Government Study Finds

Weisbrod, Katelyn. “‘Advanced’ Recycling of Plastic Using High Heat and Chemicals Is Costly and Environmentally Problematic, a New Government Study Finds.” Inside Climate News, 20 Jan. 2023, insideclimatenews.org/news/19012023/plastic-advanced-recycling-cost-environmental-impact.  

 

Many of the new plastic recycling methods, including gasification and pyrolysis, are found to be inefficient and highly polluting. In some chemical recycling methods, only 1 to 15 % of the plastic remains after being processed, meaning close to 90% of the plastic is still benignly released into the environment. Some other methods are more favorable, with an 80-95% success rate, but they still need to be more efficient in the fight for recycling plastics. The most efficient and economical method is mechanical recycling, which has been around for the most extended time; it has a lower emissions rate and is less polluting than other methods. Experts say that multiple methods must be used to fight against plastic waste. The purest plastics should go through mechanical recycling, while the impure plastics should be chemically recycled. 

While current recycling options are inefficient and expensive, there should still be a push for more innovative options for recycling. Many of the systems tested were in their early stages or prototypes. However, the most efficient approach is also the one that has been around the longest. If we continue to research to improve and create new methods, the quality of the methods and products should increase alongside them. There will never be one system that will eliminate all our plastic waste; however, with a combination of multiple different methods, the amount of waste recycled should significantly increase. However, the main problem with plastic is not recycling but manufacturing. Our current recycling systems cannot keep up with the amount of plastic being produced, so to make a dent in the plastic waste problem, we must attack it at the source and lower our plastic production. With lower plastic waste being put into our society, recycling will be able to finally create a dent in the amount already present in the environment.

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We Have a Waste Problem

 

Michelson, Joan. “We Have a Waste Problem – Will ESG and Government Funding Help?” Forbes, 29 Jan. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/joanmichelson2/2023/01/29/we-have-a-waste-problem–will-ESG-and-government-funding-help/?sh=56d785df4e22.

 

The Holiday season not only brings excellent cheer but also significant plastic waste. Plastic is part of our everyday lives, from wrapping paper on a present to packaging our food. The United States has a plastic waste problem that is going strong. Only 5% of the plastic put into recycling bins is recycled. Every hour 2.5 million plastic bottles are being thrown away. Many end up in landfills, our environment, and in the ecosystem. While there are thousands of recycling systems in the nation and many people are becoming more conscious of their plastic waste, there is still the growing problem of plastic waste. While there are still many problems with our plastic usage, companies, and bodies are creating change like Patagonia, who reduce plastic to make their apparel, others who are building biodegradable plastics, and those who are reducing their plastic packaging to make a difference. Regulations are being placed in certain areas that force plastic manufacturers to take accountability for the plastics they create from their creation until their disposal/recycling. Other programs are rapidly evolving with the current plastic epidemic, and only time will tell how effective they are.

It is disheartening to see that despite all our hard work, there is little impact on the amount of plastic pumped into the ecosystem by the United States and other countries. There needs to be more incredible innovation regarding methods that aim to reduce plastic waste on our planet. While we have thousands of recycling centers, little plastic is actually recycled. If we wish to reduce plastic waste, there must be a more significant push for effective recycling methods. There also needs to be a reduction in the amount of plastic being produced, as no matter how much plastic we take out of the environment, it won’t matter if we keep dumping more in than we take out. There needs to be set goals and regulations that manufacturers must follow to decrease the amount of plastic being made. Without their measures, the problem will continue to escalate, and our planet’s health will continue to deteriorate.

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Efforts to Regulate Plastic Pollution Likely to Increase in 2023.

Austin, Anne Idsal. “Efforts to Regulate Plastic Pollution Likely to Increase in 2023.” Waste Management – United States, 19 Jan. 2023, www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/waste-management/1272904/efforts-to-regulate-plastic-pollution-likely-to-increase-in-2023.

The biden administration have proposed environmental legislation that aims to increase the amount of plastic that is being recycled by the United States. It is likely that plastic waste will be a big vocal point for the biden administration and for congress. The United States government has recently started to implement more goals and legislators aimed at reducing plastic waste and fighting climate change. There has been more pressure put on the EPA to better reduce the plastic waste of the United States. Much of the effects of these new governmental actions are yet to be seen and will need time to see their impacts. 

I think that the government has to be more proactive in their fights against climate change and plastic waste. They keep setting up meaningless goals with no concrete plans put in action to reach those goals. Unless there is a big push and major change to our plastic usage those goal will stay out of reach. However I do think that the new legislation is a step in the right direction for the United step, it is one out of a thousand steps that must be taken to prevent further damage to our environment. The push for environmental policy must also extend past one term and shouldn’t be dismantled on the basis of political differences. In order to make change there must be a unified effort from all parties involved including the government and the people.

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Sustainable Shopping: Avoiding plastic, reducing waste

CBS Interactive. (2023, January 25). Sustainable shopping: Avoiding plastic, reducing waste. CBS News. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/sustainable-shopping/ 

California uses so much plastic daily, for water bottles, shopping, etc. Specifically in the bay area, fast fashion is a major contributor to plastic consumption and waste. In Highland Park, Joseph and Lauren Macrino set out to help this problem by creating a plastic-free store where shoppers can refill items using their own reusable containers. This zero-waste store, like others in California, are small steps to avoid single-use plastic and protect our environment. If these stores are not local to you, people are encouraged to cloth rags, reusable water bottles, and bar soap compared to the alternatives.

Overall, this article does a good job of highlighting small efforts to combat our plastic over consumption and how any person can help our environment by avoiding single-use plastic. This relates to environmental science by looking at smaller solutions to plastic use which would hurt our environment. I liked this article, although it is such a small step compared to our giant problem. I think if more stores like this one open up, it could make a pretty big impact on reducing plastic. However, my question is: What are we going to do with the plastic we have already made?

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California’s bold move to Curb Plastic Pollution

Petsko, E. (2022, September 27). California’s bold move to Curb Plastic Pollution. Oceana. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://oceana.org/blog/californias-bold-move-to-curb-plastic-pollution/  

Because of California’s big economy, California has a big plastic problem too. On June 30, The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act or Senate Bill 54 was signed. The bill requires companies to reduce their plastic consumption by 25% over the next 10 years and it estimates that it will eliminate 23 million tons of plastic waste in this time frame. California spends $420 million annually to reduce and clean up plastic, but this law will finally implement a long term solution to this issue.

This article explains the plastic prevention act that was signed just in 2022 in order to eliminate plastic waste specifically in California. This relates to environmental science by showing the correlation between environmental clean up and our government. Environmental science exists to keep our world safe and our environment thriving, so ways to keep it in good conditions relates to environmental science. This article does a good job of explaining Senate Bill 54 and how it will help California in reducing plastic use and recycling plastic.

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Whales off California Coast eat 10 million pieces of tiny plastic pollution a day

Rogers, P. (2022, November 2). Whales off California coast eat 10 million pieces of tiny plastic pollution a day, new Stanford Study Estimates. The Mercury News. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/11/01/whales-off-california-coast-eat-10-million-pieces-of-tiny-plastic-pollution-a-day-new-stanford-study-estimates/ 

A recent Stanford study came out, showing that due to excessive use of plastic, whales off the coast of California have been ingesting millions of microplastics daily. When plastic fills the stomachs of wildlife, it causes malnourishment, and even death. Additionally, traces of chemicals found in plastics have been found in deceased whales on beaches and studies show that these chemicals weaken whale’s immune systems. Dr. Jeff Boehm explains how action is necessary to save marine animals and keep them healthy. Although California has been struggling with plastic consumption, California has also started to make efforts to decrease plastic pollution through new laws.

This article relates plastic consumption to California’s marine life, and its connection to people. This relates to environmental science because the condition of our oceans and animals lives are, or should be important to us. I like how the article focused the plastic problem specifically on whales because many of these articles have sounded the same, but this one varies. Overall, I think this article does a good job of showing how micro plastics hurt sea life, but it could have gone into more depth to explain why these animals need immediate saving and protection from our over consumption of plastic.

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You can’t Recycle your Way Out

Lam, M. (2022, November 3). ‘you can’t recycle your way out’: California’s plastic problem and what we can do about it. KQED. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from   https://www.kqed.org/news/11901288/you-cant-recycle-your-way-out-californias-plastic-problem-and-what-to-do-about-it#:~:text=California%20dumps%20more%20than%2012%2C000,recycling%20and%20waste%20management%20agency. 

California’s plastic problem is urgent, dumping more than 12,000 tons of plastic each day. Because all plastic is different, it is difficult to recycle and sort everything. Some laws have been implemented to encourage reusing plastic, but they are not enough. And as more bills are talked about, such as, ​​AB 793 and AB 1371 have failed because of the impracticality. This could be very detrimental to California because plastic use is supposed to double by 2025 due to the e-commerce economy according to state Assemblymember Laura Friedman. Lastly, plastic use can now be connected to passing chemicals to humans, and climate change, meaning the importance of reducing plastic has greatly increased.

This article notes the urgency of California’s plastic consumption and ways to attack the problem. It discusses failures to reduce plastic use and some successes, although little compared to the big picture problem. This article relates to environmental science because it provides readers with the harsh effects of our actions relating to the environment, and how to attempt to fix these problems. I think this article does a good job of showing the importance of recycling and avoiding plastic, but it needs more details regarding the laws that we do have in place.

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California Passed a Landmark Law about Plastic Pollution. Why are some Environmentalists still Concerned?

Weisbrod, K. (2022, October 12). California passed a landmark law about plastic pollution. why are some environmentalists still concerned? Inside Climate News. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12102022/california-plastics-pollution-bill/ 

The new California law, Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, attempts to reduce waste by making producers of plastic directly responsible for it. The law is set to reduce plastic packaging by “25 percent in 10 years” and will require most of single-use plastic to be recycled because less than 6% of plastic waste actually gets recycled in the United States. These seemingly, solid provisions are also producing a lot of controversy. Some leaders argue that there are loopholes to get through recycling. Companies could use chemical recycling to abide by the law, but chemical recycling isn’t actually recycling according to environmentalists.

The law in this article aims to reduce the amount of plastic and to ensure it gets disposed of correctly, which is super crucial to environmental science. Environmental Science studies interactions within our environment, how they affect us, and how to keep our world safe. The law in this article, when implemented, will reduce plastic use which does hurt our environment significantly. I enjoyed reading this article because it promotes action regarding our environment, rather than just talking about it. This law won’t fix everything in our corrupt world, but it definitely is a big step to protecting our home.