Since the begging of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of face masks has increased by an immense amount. With this increase in use, there has also been an increase in waste caused by these face masks. Face masks are made using multiple layers of plastic, however, they’re mainly single use and they are thrown out after their use. A group of researchers has started to research the possibility of making pineapple leaves into face masks as they are biodegradable and are seen as waste in agriculture. However, more support is needed if these leaves are ever to turn into masks.

This article brings up an interesting alternative to our traditional face masks. Covid-19 has caused great harm to all parts of our life but I had been unaware that even the face masks we use to combat the virus are now causing harm to our environment. It astonished me just how much waste these face masks were causing and the possible ramifications of the waste of the masks. The alternative using Pinable leaves seems to be a great alternative however there do seem to be some flaws to them. Since only take a couple of days to start to decompose, they can’t be stored for long amounts of time before they go bad. On top of that, they do not handle well moisture and because covid-19 mainly travels through moisture, they may not be very effective in preventing catching the disease. All that being said, I think that there is a future for alternative materials to single-use plastic masks. The only thing holding them back is the lack of research and support for these alternatives to plastic masks.

Australian researchers have discovered that the larva of the darkling beetle is able to completely survive and become beetles on a diet of polystyrene which is an ingredient in styrofoam. The larva eating the plastics allows the scientists to use the waste and make it into more valuable bioplastics. Scientists are looking into the specific enzymes in the larva that allow them to break down the plastics in order to better scale the operation into a more efficient one. Scientists say people must also use more ecologically friendly plastics in order to make this future a reality.

This article talks about the discovery of the darkling beetles’ ability to break down plastic foam. It also talks about it could also be scaled up to a larger scale in order to handle lots of plastic. This intrigues me because we now have a new way to repurpose plastic waste that has been choking our environment. It also means we can now more feasibly reduce the effects of plastic as there would be less of it in the environment. I am surprised at the larva’s ability since even with the poor diet of plastic, it is still able to go on to become a beetle and thrive. I wonder how long this could take to be put into a large-scale operation and I am also curious if we can use the new bioplastics that are produced through the process.

The EIA is pushing for the UN to make a binding treaty with set goals to reduce the amount of plastic created and how to handle the plastic waste. Although there is a lot of support from nations and groups, countries like the U.S. and organizations like British Plastics Federation are in opposition since they are some of the largest producers of plastic, the raw materials necessary for plastic, and plastic waste. The researchers on plastic pollution have come to the conclusion that any delay could cause irreparable harm to our environment. 

The BBC news article has revealed how urgent we need to act if we are to stop the tons of plastic pollution in our environment. It has also shown how the greed of companies and the self-interest of governments are coming in the way of stopping plastic pollution and creation. Plastic is found everywhere in our environment from the soil at our feet to the oceans, even all the way in Antarctica, microplastics can be found. On top of that, the pollution from plastic is causing many animals to die including elephants that ingest the pollution in their habitats. In order to stop the problems, there must be infrastructure in place to recycle and have compostable plastic and plastic alternatives. On top of that, there needs to be a giant decrease in new plastic use in order to lessen the amount of plastic waste going into our environment.

A recent study in the Netherlands tested beef and pork and found that they contained microplastics in their blood. Three-fourths of the meat tested contained this microplastic. The contamination was widespread with even store-bought milk and hand-milked milk, and they both contained microplastics. Microplastics are also starting to appear in the arctic with a garbage patch starting to form there like the one in the Pacific. These microplastics could lead to the health of the livestock and humans that ingest them deteriorating.

The article reveals how microplastics have become engraved into all life, including the ones humans ingest. I find it surprising that microplastics are even found in the daily food we eat, like carton milk and the meat we eat. I also find it surprising that it is found in most of our products consumed daily without our knowledge. I also find it astonishing that there is a second large garbage patch being created in Antarctica. A land so far removed from most of society is still feeling the effects of our plastic use. I think the effects of ingesting these microplastics should be researched in order to get an understanding of what will happen to people that are ingesting these microplastics. I also think that we should find a way to get rid of microplastics found in our food sources and plastics in general.

Plastic waste has become a significant problem in the 21st century as our consumption since 1950 has grown 190x. The major problem with plastics is that plastic contaminates our environment for thousands of years after their short use. Microplastics and nano plastics that come from plastics that cannot retrieve from the environment are in every organism, including humans. 90% of sea birds contain microplastics and nano plastics in the bloodstreams of humans. To reduce its impact, more plastic must be recycled and cleaned up from the environment.

This article sheds light on how much damage the plastics we use daily are causing our environment. Nowadays, plastics are a part of our daily lives. We take for granted the availability of plastics without considering how much damage a single-use bottle is causing our environment. As the article revealed, microplastics are so widespread that they are in our bodies without our knowledge. This article made me think of how widespread the problem of plastic waste is. It also made me realize that if we want to protect the planet and ourselves from plastic, we must start to recycle the plastics we use and cut down on the number of single-use plastics we consume daily. I wonder why we allowed the problem to get to this without much intervention. I also wonder how long it will take to reverse the effect, if possible, that plastic waste has caused on the environment. A considerable joint effort is needed to combat the plastic waste problem on our planet and its inhabitants.

Bissell, Joel. “Watch Drones Pick up Litter on Michigan Beaches and Waterways.” Mlive, MenuSubscribe, 27 Aug. 2022, https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/08/watch-drones-pick-up-litter-on-michigan-beaches-and-waterways.html?outputType=amp. 

On Tuesday, August 23, the PixieDrone and Bebot debut in the Great Lakes of Michigan. Designed to pick up plastic through sand and water, these robots can “sift through about 32,000 square feet of sand per hour” and collect up to 200 pounds of trash before needing to be emptied. These machines were funded 1 million dollars by The Council of the Great Lakes Region to help protect our environment. Grand Valley State University keeps these robots running and will deploy them to even more public beaches this year.

This invention does a great job in combining engineering and environmental science by using robots to help our environment. By using technology to deal with environmental issues, we can find more efficient ways. With this being said, I also can’t imagine two little robots doing much to our environment and it won’t eliminate future plastic. However, it definitely is a start, because if others use this as inspiration, I’m sure more machines like this will be spread throughout the country to get rid of plastic in precious bodies of water and other habitats.

Hickey, H. (2022, August 23). Beach trash accumulates in predictable patterns on Washington and Oregon shores. UW News. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.washington.edu/news/2022/08/23/beach-trash-accumulates-in-predictable-patterns-on-washington-and-oregon-shores/

Due to citizen science, volunteers with the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team were able to survey 843 beaches year-round. They found that some beaches were “sticky zones” or had a high amount of litter. A study by the University of Washington found that trash washed up on shore can be from their own community or neighboring towns. It also showed a seasonal pattern with an increase in trash in the Spring. With this data, experts say that it will be easier to come up with solutions to the plastic problem.

Overall, this article does a good job of linking patterns in plastic wash up with solutions. It shows us the impact of plastic we use, not just in our area, but in other communities. This means that plastic affects everyone, so knowing its pattern could help us figure out where and when our solutions should be implemented. This connects to environmental science, as it shows us the effects we have on our environment. Knowing this, we need to take bigger steps to save it.

Choi-Schagrin, W. (2022, July 1). California requires plastics makers to foot the bill for Recycling. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/climate/california-plastics-recycling-law.html 

On June 30th, California signed a new law regarding reducing and eliminating plastic. The new law states that the manufacturers of plastic have to pay for recycling institutions, rather than taxpayers. It also says that single-use packaging must be recyclable or compostable by 2032. Experts claim that this law has been the best that the US has seen because it requires both producing less plastic and being able to dispose of them correctly. ​​Anja Brandon, a policy analyst at the Ocean Conservancy explains that “the new California law would eliminate 23 million tons of plastic in the next 10 years,” helping to fight climate change.

This article directly aims to reduce the amount of plastic and to ensure it gets disposed of correctly, which is super crucial to environmental science. Environmental science is the study of our environment and how to save it, so an article about solutions to the issues in our world is very related to Environmental Science. Although it will not fix the entirety of the plastic problem, it is a big step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see this law actually in place, and to see how companies plan to reduce plastic. I think this article is almost a breath of fresh air, as in the media, I mostly see only the problems that plastic has caused and never the solutions. 

Swearingen, D. (2022, August 4). USF student invents lumber alternative using recycled plastic. USF News. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/usf-student-invents-lumber-altternative-using-recycled-plastic.aspx 

In just the past couple years, John Cotter, a mechanical engineering student at University of South Florida discovered a way to use recycled plastic as wood. By heating plastic, squeezing through a specialized machine, and reinforcing it with polymer, Cotter made a sustainable and stronger building material than wood, that will reduce deforestation and the price for consumers. Under a grant by the National Science foundation, he continues to build off his ideas and create more sustainable materials, like a concrete and recycled product fence.

This eco-friendly, recycled plastic material is a great idea and can really change the way we rely on plastic. Not to mention, this invention also saves trees and makes sustainability an affordable option for lower income communities. Unlike the plastic tote bags from Anybag, this idea is a more direct solution to our plastic problem because it stops us from using plastic in the first place. This article directly relates to Environmental Science, as it aims for a more sustainable building material, protecting our environment.

Iredale, J. (2022, July 30). Not just any bag. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/30/style/not-just-any-bag.html?searchResultPosition=2

Alex Dabagh, the owner of Park Avenue International, a New York leather goods company, began to notice all the single-use plastic bags he received in the fashion industry. To help solve this concern, he broke down these plastic bags, sealed them into long strands, and weaved them into a reusable bag, just like any other typical textile. His first prototype was released in 2020 in ReFashion Week NYC, but his new company, Anybag, has grown tremendously. Collecting an estimate of 588,000 single-use plastic bags from local businesses, he got to partner with big brands like Adidas and Ralph Lauren.

Although this plastic solution is a step in solving the world’s plastic problem, I think it won’t affect our country on a big enough scale. Yes, this will help decrease plastic around New York, but it is just a small amount compared to our world’s plastic. More companies like this will help, but it is simply not enough. Though, reusing plastic is a big part of environmental science because it helps find solutions to our problems and focuses on the effects we have on our planet.