We use plastic every day. Your toothbrush is probably made of plastic, your lotion is in a plastic bottle and your lunch is most likely wrapped in a plastic bag. It’s everywhere and unfortunately, “everywhere” has grown to include our environment, too. From packaging, to clothes, to beauty products, it has become another toxic resource that we have come to rely on, and yet ignore the consequences of its use on our dear Mother Earth. Sure, some people recycle their plastic containers, but that’s not enough to try and reverse the widespread effects that the plastic industry has on the environment.

Let’s start at the stem of the problem: the production of plastic. As humans, we produce over 430 million tons of plastic every year. The process that occurs in order to make plastic is one of the most energy-consuming processes in the manufacturing industry. Additionally, plastic is made from fossil fuels and, as we know, the extraction and usage of fossil fuels is harmful to our environment in many ways. One of these is the emission of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Annually, around 3.4% of greenhouse emissions come from plastic products and 90% of these are a result of the production process. Without reforms, these numbers will continue to grow and greenhouse gas emissions due to plastic will double by 2060.

So clearly plastic is bad, but why is it such a big problem?  That question comes more into play when we look at what happens to most plastic after it is produced as two-thirds of the total plastic products made are short-lived and quickly become waste, and the other one-third, well I’m sure it isn’t very far behind in becoming waste as well. But, we’ve come up with the solution for that…right? The plastic gets recycled.

Well, no. That would be too easy. In reality, 91% of all plastic that has ever been made is not recycled. Some of it ends up in landfills, but a good deal of it is mismanaged and becomes litter. This includes the litter you may see everyday driving on highways or walking outside, but also the litter you may not see, such as in our oceans and wild habitats. 

Each day, about 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the oceans, rivers and lakes of our world. Over time, this builds up to nearly 23 million tons of plastic entering aquatic ecosystems annually. There are many issues with plastic entering the ecosystems that govern our natural environment. For one, it alters the natural processes that take place in various habitats. This reduces the ecosystem’s ability to adapt to the growing challenges posed by climate change. Soil and groundwater of ecosystems that have extensive plastic pollution are damaged and poisoned, impacting the life that depends on them. Additionally, plastic pollution found in ecosystems gets wrongly consumed by wildlife, choking and killing them. In marine and terrestrial environments, more than 1,500 species are known to ingest plastics, which is incredibly harmful.

The issues that plastic in ecosystems and natural habitats pose don’t just fade away over time. Plastic pollution is as close to permanent as you can get, taking 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental factors. When it gets in ecosystems, it doesn’t just go away, it breaks down into tiny particles called microplastics. Microplastics are molecules of plastic ranging from 5 millimeters to 1 nanometer. When they get smaller than 1 nm, they are classified as nanoplastics. From the Antarctic tundra, to tropical coral reefs, microplastics can now be found in every ecosystem on the planet. Even the places we believe to be untouched by humans still feel the impact of our irresponsible behaviors and actions.

Microplastics can come from various sources. One of the most significant ones is laundry. Every time clothing is washed, particles of it break down, creating tiny plastic fibers. Laundry alone causes around 500,000 tons of microplastic to enter the oceans each year. This is the equivalent of 3 billion polyester shirts floating around in the ocean.

Microplastics don’t just hurt the environment, they hurt us too. Many studies have shown that microplastics are found in human livers, kidneys and placentas. Additionally, carcinogenic chemicals from the plastics find their way into tap water. These chemicals can cause developmental, neurological and immune disorders.

Time and time again, the theme presents itself as humans leading to our own destruction and demise. The wasteful, single-minded way that we use our resources, in this case plastic, is damaging our world. It would be easy for me to say “just stop using plastic” and leave it at that, but I realize the solution is more complicated than that. To truly solve the problem at its core, deeper, systemic changes are needed. As a society, we must move away from the plastic economy that focuses so heavily on producing, using and discarding plastic. Taxes are needed in order to deter the production and utilization of plastics that get thrown away after one use. Many European countries plan on initiating a plastic tax in the coming years. Other countries like Spain have already initiated one that requires a tax rate of 0.45 euros per kilogram of non-recycled plastic. Additionally, the structure of our waste management systems need to be evaluated, improved and encouraged.

I implore you to be conscious of the amount of plastic products that you consume, use and throw away. Please, try to consume and use as little as you can and avoid single-use plastics. When it is utterly unavoidable to use plastic products in your life, try and reuse them for as long as possible and then, dispose of them in the correct manner. Sometimes, the little consistent things that we do are the things that create the most change.