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Citations are in MLA format

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"British Chemist Alexander Parkes introduced the synthetic plastic compound in 1862. Plastic became available for commercial use at the end of World War II. In January 2018, China announced it was not accepting plastic waste imports for recycling increasing pressure to find a solution to reduce plastic waste, especially single use plastic."

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Manufacturers have responded to concerns over plastic waste by developing more sustainable materials and creating more reusable products. Plant-based plastics have enjoyed renewed popularity because they degrade more efficiently than entirely synthetic plastics. Some plant-based plastics use cellulose, a natural and renewable polymer found in wood, cotton, and their byproducts.

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The United States Needs to Phase Out All Single Use Plastics (Supporting Viewpoint) 

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The United States Needs to Phase Out All Single Use Plastics (Supporting Viewpoint) 

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"Considering the magnitude of plastic waste, this item-by-item, city-by-city approach isn’t going to cut it anymore. It is only creating selective empathy. Unfortunately, recycling is not the answer especially since China is not allowing imported plastic trash.  Recycling has only enabled the addiction to convenient, disposable plastic packaging to deepen for some 60 years. Ultimately, knowing that every piece of manufactured plastic is still on Earth should be motivation to understand that the United States needs to eliminate the production of all single-use plastics or there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean."

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The United States Needs to Phase Out All Single-Use Plastic

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Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http%3A%2F%2Flink.galegroup.com%2Fapps%2Fdoc%2FKDGNCM058973610%2FOVIC%3Fu%3Dpl2683%26sid%3DOVIC%26xid%3Db5de9497. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019. Originally published as "Grocery bags and takeout containers aren't enough. It's time to phase out all single-use plastic," Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2018.

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The Extent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Been Grossly Exaggerated (Opposing Viewpoint) 

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The Extent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Been Grossly Exaggerated (Opposing Viewpoint) 

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"According to an analysis by an Oregon State University scientist, claims that the 'Great Garbage Patch' between California and Japan is twice the size of Texas is  exaggerated as well as claims that the patch has been growing tenfold each decade since the 1950s. There is credible data scientists have collected that can make reasonable estimates about the amount of plastic in the oceans, it is not necessary to over exaggerate the problem in hopes that a solution will come faster.  With the growing interest to remove plastic from oceans there may be unforeseen consequences connected to potentially removing microbes that thrive on plastic.  These small organisms are the 'heartbeat of the ocean' and loosing them would cause even more harm.

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The Extent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Been Grossly Exaggerated

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Endangered Oceans, edited by Helga Schier and Lynn M. Zott, Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http%3A%2F%2Flink.galegroup.com%2Fapps%2Fdoc%2FEJ3010130401%2FOVIC%3Fu%3Dpl2683%26sid%3DOVIC%26xid%3Dd93a1281. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019. Originally published as "Oceanic 'Garbage Patch' Not Nearly as Big as Portrayed in Media,", 4 Jan. 2011.

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China's Ban on Plastic Waste Imports is a Wake-Up Call to the United States (Credible Source # 1)

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China's Ban on Plastic Waste Imports is a Wake-Up Call to the United States (Credible Source # 1)

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"In 2016, China took 51 percent of the 15 million tons of plastic recyclables in trade globally, including a whopping 40 percent of US citizens’ plastic recycling. So when China announced that it was shutting its doors to US plastic, it was a wake up call for the US recycling industry. Now, people are desperately looking for the cheapest possible destinations making an incentive for companies to  dump, burn, or bury recyclables that customers think are getting recycled."

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China’s Ban on Plastic Waste Imports Is a Wake-Up Call for the United States

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The "recyclable" plastic the US sends abroad are often low-quality and low-value. Some contain a cocktail of toxic additives that threaten recycling workers' health. (Recyclables that are higher value, namely HDPE and PET [#1 and #2], are more often recycled domestically.)

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Addressing the Global Plastic Waste Crisis (Credible Source # 2)

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Addressing the Global Plastic Waste Crisis (Credible Source # 2)

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Addressing the Global Plastic Waste Crisis has several main issues that need to be addressed.  These issues are tackling marine pollution, designing for recycling, reducing the use of single use plastics, advocating for behavior change through education and regulation, and pushing for more Domestic (and International) Infrastructure.  All of these issues make up this global issue of how to stop production of plastic waste.

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Addressing the Global Plastic Waste Crisis

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At a time where awareness about plastic waste is on the rise, and everyone is working toward a common goal of reducing waste and using less plastic, a call for behavior change is also in order.

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Sea Turtle with Straw in Nose (Video # 1) 

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Sea Turtle with Straw in Nose (Video # 1) 

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When I think of why it is important to recycle single use plastics I immediately think of this video.  Straws are one type of single use plastic that the US needs to ban the production of.  Sea turtles are easily harmed like this when plastic straws end up in the ocean.  This sea turtle suffered for an unknown amount of time because this straw ended up lodged up its nose.  The video captures the pain the animal goes through while its recusers frantically work to get the straw out ironically not knowing what the straw is until they remove it.

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Sea Turtle with Straw up its Nostril - "NO" TO PLASTIC STRAWS

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Greenpeace Philippines Giant Beached Whale (Image # 3) 

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Greenpeace Philippines Giant Beached Whale (Image # 3) 

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Greenpeace Philippines created a giant beach whale filled literally with trash in the effort to make a statement about the plastic that ends up in the oceans causes harm to all marine life. Many artists are taking this approach collecting and using the recyclable plastic goods to create statement like pieces such as this one.  These sculptures immediately create empathy for people motivating them to do something about the issue using single-use plastic brings about.

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8 Ways to Reduce Your Single-Use Plastics (Image # 2)

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8 Ways to Reduce Your Single-Use Plastics (Image # 2)

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This infographic highlights eight ways to reduce personal use of single-use plastics. It is truly eye opening to see how much single use plastic one person actually uses. Ultimately, to eliminate single use plastic it is a complete life style change that is not as easy to make as one would think. That is because these single-use items are more convenient than the alternatives. For example, going out to eat would require people to bring a glass containers with them which is not as convenient as being given one at the restaurant.

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Reducing single-use plastics at the local level (Video # 2)

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Reducing single-use plastics at the local level (Video # 2)

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Keith Tharp co-founder of Sustainable Seacoast discusses" how small, local efforts and organizations can combine to make a large impact." Sustainable Seacoast is a "nonprofit organization with the primary goal of eliminating single-use plastic in their local restaurant industry. The results are actual reduction in plastic use and shifts in mindset for businesses and residents."

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Reducing single-use plastic at the local level | Keith Tharp | TEDxPortsmouth

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Jellyfish Verses Plastic Bags (Image # 1) 

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Jellyfish Verses Plastic Bags (Image # 1) 

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Plastics bags are one type of single use plastic the US needs to eliminate the production of completely.  The obviously reason is that when plastic bags enter oceans they are easily mistaken for jelly fish by different marine life that ends up eating them and ultimately dying from not being able to digest them.

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This image is of recycling symbol which is universally recognizable. It is interesting how many people only focus on the last concept - recycle. The concepts of reuse and reduce are usually just pushed to the side and forgotten about because they are not as convenient as recycling. Recycling provides instant gratifaction because it immediately makes people feel good to be contributing to ease the problem plastic waste has caused. However, now it is not enough, people need to work on reducing and reusing as well. These require more thought and involves making lifestyle changes. If everyone would reduce the use of single use plastics ultimately the supply and demand of these single-use plastics would drop dramatically clearing the desire to produce them.

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9 Reasons to Refuse Single-Use Plastics (Image # 4) 

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9 Reasons to Refuse Single-Use Plastics (Image # 4) 

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This infographic highlights nine ways to refuse single-use plastics. If more and more people begin refusing single-use plastics the need and convenience of using them will reduce ultimately eliminating the need to produce them. Many of these reasons link plastic to health problems caused by digesting plastic particles that are undoubtedly in food people consume.