The issues of single use plastics
Single use plastics are convenient and cheap, we are addicted to the consumerist lifestyle and we are so quick to throw things away when we are done with them. We’ve all purchased single use plastics but do we ever stop to think about what actually happens when we dispose of them? They don’t just disappear, they have a very long life after we are done with them.
With only one real purpose, single use plastics are intended to be used once, and then discarded after the user is finished with them. Because plastics are so durable, they take around 450 years to decompose (The Balance Small Business, 2018).
Common single use plastics you may use day to day could include: plastic bags, water bottles, coffee cups, disposable cutlery, straws, clingfilm, food packaging, etc.
If single use plastics are so bad, then why are we still using them?
Despite the many negative aspects of single use plastics, we still use them because we are addicted to convenience. They are cheap to produce from manufactures, which results in a lower price for the consumer. There is a high demand for them. If we keep buying them, manufactures keep producing them.
Does recycling help?
We like to think that by recycling we are doing our part, but in actual fact only a third of UK plastic waste gets recycled (the Guardian, 2018). We are made to believe that recycling makes a difference, while we don’t notice that two thirds of kitchen plastic waste is ‘not currently recyclable’ (the Independent, 2018).
The Economist states that only 9% of plastic waste ever created has been recycled. These statistics are shocking. If we keep churning out plastic at this rate, according to Friends of the Earth, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
Ocean pollution
Plastics are washing up everywhere, National Geographic states that around 18 billion pounds of plastic waste are making its way into our oceans each year. Plastics in the ocean are known for entangling and restricting wildlife, and being mistaken for food. So many shocking videos and images have circulated on social media, like the plastic contents of whale’s stomachs, videos of people freeing entangled turtles, and we have all seen the video of a straw stuck in a turtles nose.
This video is what made me really think about where the plastic I am using and throwing away ends up. That could have been my straw. We don’t take responsibility for our waste, because once we dispose of it, it is no longer our problem.
Plastics are such a major problem in our oceans, currents are taking plastic waste into clumps in the ocean, there are 5 major zones where plastic accumulates. The biggest is known as ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ and Ocean Clean Up states that the area it covers is shockingly around two times the size of Texas. As the plastic decomposes, it turns into micro plastics which is often mistaken for food by sea life, and makes its way into our food chain, as the micro plastics are in the fish we eat.
Micro plastics enter our ocean in many different ways. Bigger pieces of plastic break down into micro plastics under the heat of the sun which then sink to the bottom and are mistaken for food by sea life. Micro plastics also enter our oceans when we wash our clothes. Our clothes are made from plastics and each time we wash them small micro plastics escape from the clothes and into the ocean.
Conclusion
If we don’t act now we are facing a major crisis. Recycling alone will not save us from this. We must start by making small changes in our lives to make a difference. My next blog post will explore the ways we can make small changes in our lives to lead to an impact in plastic waste reduction.
References
The Balance Small Business. (2018). How Long Does It Take Garbage to Decompose?. [online] Available at: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033 [Accessed 27 Sep. 2018].
The Economist. (2018). Only 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled. [online] Available at: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/03/06/only-9-of-the-worlds-plastic-is-recycled [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].
Friends of the Earth Scotland. (2018). End Plastic Pollution — Friends of the Earth Scotland. [online] Available at: https://foe.scot/campaign/plastic-pollution/ [Accessed 27 Sep. 2018].
The Guardian. (2018). Only a third of UK consumers’ plastic packaging is recycled. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/21/only-a-third-of-uk-consumer-plastic-packaging-is-recycled [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].
The Independent. (2018). ‘Everything you’ve been told about plastic is wrong — the answer isn’t recycling’. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/plastic-waste-wish-recycling-bins-black-environment-green-shopping-a8548736.html [Accessed 28 Sep. 2018].
News.nationalgeographic.com. (2018). Fast Facts About Plastic Pollution. [online] Available at: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution/ [Accessed 27 Sep. 2018].
The Ocean Cleanup, w. (2018). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch — The Ocean Cleanup. [online] The Ocean Cleanup. Available at: https://www.theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/ [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].
