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“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuild, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composed, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production” - Pete Seeger
Plastic is a material which made our lives more convenient. We find it everywhere like in grocery stores, households, and the environment. The amount of plastic waste, we produce as consumers is immense and increases over time. Besides the benefits of plastic as a cheap material to produce consumer goods and packings, the negative impacts overweight.
According to Ritchel, 50 percent of all plastic products are produced for a single use and get thrown away right after their use.
Examples are plastic bags, to-go cups, straws, bottles and plastic dishes (Ritchel).
“Around 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced since the 1950s in the United States. Only 9% of this plastic has been recycled, 12% has been burned and 79% has landed in landfills or the environment.” There are five trillion pieces of plastics in our oceans - enough to circle the earth 400 times (Bullock).
The average American takes home over 1500 plastic single-use bags a year.
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Waste Management announces that only one percent of these plastic bags are returned to recycling which means 15 plastic bags a year (“10 Facts about single-use plastic bags”)
The production and consumption of single-use plastic products impacts the environment negatively. Unsustainable behaviors by Memphian consumers, in the case of plastic garbage production by single-use products creates health risks to Memphis’ citizens and wildlife. Banning or reducing single-use items such as plastic bags in grocery stores, to go cups and plastic dishes in restaurants and households will improve the environment and human health.
Single-use plastic products are defined as products which are produced for us as consumers to throw the items away after its use.
The production of plastic products contains of toxic chemicals which can create dangerous problems to human health.
Components of plastic such as phthalates, bisphenol A, Diphenyl Ethers are recognized in human bodies which effect the endocrine system (Talsness). Also considered as “bad plastics” are poly chloride (PVC) which are used to produce plastic wrap and plastic containers. PVC can cause liver cancer and harmful effects bone structures, spleen, body weight, liver and kidney. In addition, Polystyrene (PS) is contained in egg cartons, not reusable cups, plastic plates, Styrofoam and food trays. The material can affect the nervous system and the brain. Polycarbonate (PC) is a component included in sports water bottles, clear plastic cups, plastic dishes and grocery plastic bags. Polycarbonates can increase prostate cancer, ovarian dysfunction and genetic damage. The plastic production process where plastic gets exposed to high temperatures, toxic gases and substances cause health risks to human health. (The Effects of Plastic Waste Environmental Science Essay).
Most dangerous for environment and health and easiest items to avoid as consumers are single-use products we use every day. For example, a to go coffee cup on the way to work, leaving the grocery store with lots of plastic bags or using plastic dishes at the breakfast buffet in a hotel. Studies say that 50% of the plastic which is produced of natural resources gets thrown away after a single use. “The most common shopping bags are made of a type of plastic called polyethylene or polythene a tough, light, flexible, synthetic resin obtained by polymerizing ethylene” (Giacovelli). Statistics say that the United States use 380 billion plastic bags each year. Michelle Land who started a conduct cleanup campaign in Orange Mound called Manicure Memphis says: “I've seen street dogs at the side of the road eating them.' Plastic bags cost Memphis 5.6 Million Dollars a year to be buried in landfills. Considering to the expense the City Council want to charge citizens 7 cents per bag to make them search for alternatives. Single-use bags, Styrofoam, to-go cups and plastic dishes are used because they are strong, cheap and hygienic to pack or transport items. Due to their light weight, they can be blown away easily and end up in landfills and the ocean. Moreover, plastic needs up to 1000 years to decompose. Furthermore, wildlife species consume plastic which hazards their health by blocking the breathing passages and stomachs. Scientists found evidence, that “the toxic chemicals added through the manufacturing process micro particles transfer from the ingested plastic into the animals’ tissues, eventually entering the food chain for human as well.” (Giacovelli).
Plastic Pollution in Memphis causes not only a big problem for the city of Memphis, but also causing trouble for the Mississippi river and the Gulf of Mexico are affected by the trash pollution as well. Mayor Rita Albrecht of Bemidji, Minn. says that 40% of the plastic pollution in the Gulf of Mexico comes from the Mississippi River. Referring to Mayor Lionel Johnson of St. Gabriel, La. “Plastics are what we refer to as a persistent pollutant. Plastics don’t break down, they simply become smaller and eventually turn into dangerous confetti that spreads toxins and accumulates in the food chain eventually harming all of us through the food we eat and the water we drink.” (Sells)
According to Jack Muncy senior specialist of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Natural Resources “Tons of plastic beverage and food containers are left in the outdoors each year by recreational users of TVA public land. We see so many recyclable plastic items when we conduct field assessments to identify stewardship needs. Public land users may think discarding one bottle won’t hurt anything, but the problem is the cumulative effect of thousands of people discarding personal trash and litter” (Fighting Plastic Pollution). When Memphians think one bottle, or one plastic bag thrown into the environment would not hurt, we really should change that kind of unsustainable behavior. It starts with the attitude we have towards the environment. We have to learn to appreciate natural resources and to use them sustainably.
The city of Memphis distributed over 40.000 96-gallon recycling charts trough Memphis neighborhoods. The Memphis County Solid Waste department wants to encourage the citizens to recycling and sustainability. The acceptable materials for the recycling charts are: paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic containers, rigid plastics, glass and cartons. Memphis Division of public works points out the benefits of recycling as
“Recycling saves us all money by earning the city revenue rather than paying to dispose garbage in a landfill. Also, local jobs are created to collect and process recyclables. The environment benefits because less water, energy and other natural resources are used in the recycling process than extracting and producing raw materials” (“Introducing your new Recycling Chart”).
It is not easy to find solutions for the controversial problem of plastic pollution in Memphis. There are three different solutions, which include the ban of plastic bags in grocery stores, the change of individual behaviors of trash production and a disposal bottle system provided in grocery stores. Kroger which owns more than 2500 grocery stores in the United States announced to stop using plastic bags by 2025. In fact, Kroger can set a visible example for smaller supermarkets, to find alternative transportations like paper bags or cotton bags to lower plastic waste. Even a charge for plastic bags would make people seek to find alternatives such as reusable shopping bags. The earned money through the charge can be invested into small projects. Next, the individual behavior by using single use plastic products should be sustainable related. As consumers, we should try to avoid single-use plastic items. To change our behaviors into sustainable ones, we should use reusable to-go cups and shopping bags, avoid straws and avoid using plastic plates and silverware because we are too lazy to wash dishes. Even if single-use products are more convenient sometimes, it is not a big effort to avoid them. Little changes by every individual can make a big change in favor to the environment and wildlife. The last solution theory I want to mention is a disposal bottle system which will be provided in grocery stores throughout Memphis. Memphis citizens will conduct plastic bottles because they will have the value of 25ct each bottle. It will invite people to conduct their bottles after use and bring them to the grocery stores to receive money in return. Memphis will not be pollutant by lots of plastic bottles anymore because especially poor people will pick them up because of their material value. It will be a win-win situation for the environment and Memphians at the same time. One problem which could occur by providing the machines in grocery stores in Memphis, is who will finance these machines and where will the money come from? People will argue that the money should be invested into other areas than bottle machines. Since Memphis has a lot of poor neighborhoods which are dependent on financial governmental support, it is difficult to convince the state of Tennessee or the majors of Memphis, that a disposal bottle system is a benefit for the environment (“Fighting Plastic Pollution”).
In conclusion, the trash production caused by consuming single-use plastic products and unsustainable behaviors by local consumers causes environmental pollution which effects wildlife and risk factors for human health. Toxic chemicals which are part of the manufacturing process of plastic, get in the environment when single use products are thrown away. These toxic chemicals effect wildlife as well as human health. Moreover, they block organs, and effect the hormone system, the brain and the nervous system. Another part of the plastic in the environment gets into the ocean because wind and rain rinse the light weight items into the sea. Furthermore, plastic micro particles get absorbed by fishes and other wildlife. To lower the environmental pollution in Memphis, we should focus on the solutions how to make Memphis a “green city”. Individual sustainably behaviors by avoiding the consume of single-use plastic products, can benefit the environment. Ban plastic bags from grocery stores a or charge customers to seek to alternatives can also make a positive change. Last, the offer of deposit plastic bottle machines to conduct bottles and receive money as a refund will motivate Memphians to recycling. The conducted plastic bottles by the grocery stores can get recycled which saves energy and the use of natural resources.
Only we as Memphians can make a change. We need to continue sustainable behaviors and stick to the recycling process of the city. The more people get involved the bigger change in advance to the environment can be made. Our attitude has to change into an appreciative and sustainable thinking one. Every small step will make a difference.
Negative Impact of Plastic on the Environment. (2021, Aug 04). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/negative-impact-of-plastic-on-the-environment-essay
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