Paper or Plastic?
What inspired me to recycle was a video called Plastic Paradise that talked about how islands have overwhelming amounts of trash, how BPA can be dangerous for your skin and showing animals and coral reefs getting hurt and killed because we are not doing anything. As a result, I decided to try to do something in my reach to stop it.
What I learned throughout the video was that not all plastic can be recycled and most of it goes into the ocean even if it can be recycled. I personally haven't recycled until I watched this video and after seeing the picture below and watching an albatross get cut open made me feel like we can stop this.
Ever since I heard about the DOT project I decided to challenge myself a little bit. Instead of just me recycling, I am trying to help my school and my apartment building recycle as well. The only challenge I have to face is changing people’s opinions.
I did some research and it turns out an average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic a year. That is roughly the amount to circle the earth 4 times. Imagine 7.125 billion people throwing plastic out like that. That is more than enough to cover our oceans, lakes, and rivers in very little time.
I went online to check my ecological footprint and it says it would take 2 planets if everyone lived the same way I did but with a little improvement I can make it just one planet!
