Plastic Free July – One Solution to Plastic Pollution

One Solution to Plastic Pollution By Dana Gilkes

What is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is a global movement that allows for millions of people to be a part of the solution to plastic pollution by minimizing the use of single use plastic. Plastic Free July is an initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation established in 2011 committed to reducing plastic use far past July. You can start by simply reusing plastic bags for anything you can think of, using reusable bags for grocery shopping, and just disposing of plastic properly via recycle bins. 

You can being your plastic free journey by exploring the options listed below…

• Avoid using plastic straws 

• Recycle chewing gum

• Buy more bulk food and fewer packaged products 

• Avoid cosmetics that include microplastics

• Replace plastic tupperware for steel containers 

This fun chart above provides further tips of eliminating plastic use. Try to see how many methods you can implement per day or per week. The more the better and the happier our environment will be! Source: @sustainableboro

This Plastic Free initiative provides people with the tools to change their habits and make a difference.  Plastic Free Bingo provides a fun way to change your habits and use less plastic, you cantata these tips one day, one week or one month at a time!

Until corporations are able to provide products to the community that don’t involve harmful single-use plastics, we must reduce our plastic use and refuse using disposable plastics in order to combat the plastic pollution crisis. 

How Did We Get Here?

Due to the increase in production of disposable plastic products, plastic pollution has become one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. We are unable to keep with the amount of plastic to control the pollution. Plastics are not being collected nor discarded properly. Plastic production accelerated at uncontrollable rates after World War II. Life without plastic now would be difficult. Plastic production has aided in many things such as making space travel possible, decreasing the weight of cars and jets which ultimately decreases pollution and saves fuel. Plastic production has also aided in life saving products such as helmets, incubators, and equipment for clean drinking water. Plastic has revolutionized medicine. 

Unfortunately these accomplishments through plastic production has its dark side. 40% of the plastic produced is single use, thus if not discarded properly, can remain in the environment for hundreds of years. A study by Parker revealed that half of all plastics ever created have been produced within the last 15 years. Production has increased from 2.3 million tons to 448 million tons from 1950 to 2015 (Parker, 2019). This kind of plastic production is only expected to increased and double by 2050 (Parker, 2019). “Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world” (Parker, 2019).  In order for plastic to provide the benefits that it provides many of them contain additives making them more flexible, durable, and stronger. However, these additives only add to their lifespan causing for some to have a lifespan of almost 400 years. 

When looking at plastic item, have you ever wondered how long it would take to disappear once discarded? IBERDROLA has provided us with a break down of how long a plastic cup, plastic cutlery, a toothbrush, a drinking straw, a plastic bottle, and a plastic bag would take to actually be no longer existent. Plastic can take anywhere between 100 to 500 years to break down depending on the product.  Source: IBERDROLA, Life Out of Plastic (LOOP).

Effects on Wildlife

Most of plastic waste travels from land to ocean. Waste can also be traveled via major rivers and unfortunately they pick up more trash as they travel downstream into the ocean. Once the waste is at sea, it remains in the coastal waters and then transported to different parts of the world via the currents.

Microplastics are the broken down pieces of plastic. they range in size from 1 nm to < 5 mm. They are roughly the size of a sunflower seed. If plastic has not been able to pass through once ingested by any fish or marine organism, it has been found to block the digestive tract causing starvation. If these organisms are used a food for used to consume, we then are ingesting what couldn’t be passed through. The solution is to prevent this plastic waste from getting into the ocean to begin with. 

Approximately 700 species have been affected by plastic and many of them are killed from birds, to fish, to other marine organisms. Most of the deaths are due to starvation or entanglement from ingestion of plastics or being caught within the plastic itself. Microplastics have been found in many organisms and these are often transferred to our dinner plates. 

While plastic has been a part of our daily lives for many years and has had benefited us in various ways, the negatives of plastic production outweigh the good. The goal is to modify our plastic use so that we have a brighter future ahead of us. Source: IBERDROLA

 The most effective solution is to prevent this plastic waste from getting into the ocean to begin with. 

 Statistics and Solution

It is estimated that the plastic waste island currently floating in the Pacific Ocean measures 1.6 million km2 which is detrimental. “Each year around eight million tons of plastic ends up in our seas and oceans (Corporativa, 2021). Plastic has the ability to outlive us and our children, however it is not too late as consumers, to try and turn things around! 

Works Cited

Be part of the solution. Plastic Free July. (2021, June 24). Retrieved October 2021, from https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/. 

Parker, L. (2021, May 3). Plastic pollution facts and information. Environment. Retrieved October 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution. 

Corporativa, I. (n.d.). Reduce your plastic consumption and lessen its impact on the environment. Iberdrola. Retrieved October 2021, from https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/how-to-reduce-plastic-use.