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A Plague of Plastics
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plastic harming marine life - Google Search

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Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 151k - jpgpewtrusts.org Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...940 × 528 - 122k - jpgpewtrusts.org American Disposal Services | Dumpster Rental | Waste Management ...639 × 397 - 132k - jpgamericandisposal.com Stunning Images Expose the Horrific Impact of Plastic Trash on ...1600 × 1016 - 236k - jpgpinterest.com Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 110k - jpgpewtrusts.org A Plague of Plastics 1200 × 628 - 110k - ashxnwf.org

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Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

American Disposal Services | Dumpster Rental | Waste Management ...
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americandisposal.com

Stunning Images Expose the Horrific Impact of Plastic Trash on ...
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pinterest.com

Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

A Plague of Plastics
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nwf.org

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plastic harming marine life - Google Search

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Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 151k - jpgpewtrusts.org Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...940 × 528 - 122k - jpgpewtrusts.org American Disposal Services | Dumpster Rental | Waste Management ...639 × 397 - 132k - jpgamericandisposal.com Stunning Images Expose the Horrific Impact of Plastic Trash on ...1600 × 1016 - 236k - jpgpinterest.com Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 110k - jpgpewtrusts.org A Plague of Plastics 1200 × 628 - 110k - ashxnwf.org

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Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

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americandisposal.com

Stunning Images Expose the Horrific Impact of Plastic Trash on ...
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pinterest.com

Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

A Plague of Plastics
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nwf.org

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plastic harming marine life - Google Search

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Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 151k - jpgpewtrusts.org Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...940 × 528 - 122k - jpgpewtrusts.org American Disposal Services | Dumpster Rental | Waste Management ...639 × 397 - 132k - jpgamericandisposal.com Stunning Images Expose the Horrific Impact of Plastic Trash on ...1600 × 1016 - 236k - jpgpinterest.com Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 110k - jpgpewtrusts.org A Plague of Plastics 1200 × 628 - 110k - ashxnwf.org

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For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield
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nationalgeographic.com

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americandisposal.com

Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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pewtrusts.org

A Plague of Plastics
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nwf.org

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plastic harming marine life - Google Search

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For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield
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nationalgeographic.com

Five Sea Creatures Being Harmed by Ocean Plastics - APE: Artists ...
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apeuk.org

Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...
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Curious Kids: How do plastic bags harm our environment and sea life?
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Stunning Images Expose the Horrific Impact of Plastic Trash on ...
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A Plague of Plastics
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plastic harming marine life - Google Search

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For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield1900 × 1261 - 492k - jpgnationalgeographic.com Five Sea Creatures Being Harmed by Ocean Plastics - APE: Artists ...1189 × 768 - 199k - jpgapeuk.org Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean | The Pew ...1820 × 1024 - 151k

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POWERFUL VIDEO: Why We Need to Stop Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans FOR GOOD

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How We Can Keep Plastics Out of Our Ocean | National Geographic

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This was published in Autumn of 2010. This article tells you why plastic is really bad. Chris Jordan is the author. The URL ".org" is where the sit is organized and has facts.There is not mistakes. The article informs you about the process of how the plastic decompses.

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Project Report: Plastic Pollution Coalition

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August 22, 2018 was the date it was published.The article talks about how harmful plastic is.Also how some places are banning single-used plastic all together. The author is Chris JaconsenThe URL ".com" is used for world commercial organization.There is no mistakes. This article informs you on how nad plastic is. For example, non-biodegradable plastic will never disappear from the evirment.

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Single use plastics are the hot topic of the moment - and with good reason. They're non-biodegradable meaning once created they will never disappear from the environment. When consumers open the bin to drop their plastic waste in that may be the last they see of it but it's far from the end of the story.

Subsequently going on to land fill, where poisonous gases can leak in to the atmosphere or being pumped into seas and oceans across the globe. The latter often results in wildlife getting caught in or swallowing the debris, which can lead to injuries, deformation and, ultimately, death. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the images of innocent animals caught in the plastic fastenings used to keep a four-pack of lager together.

The issue has grown so significantly that everyone from David Attenborough to the Queen of England has made their thoughts known on the matter. Costa Rica recently became the first nation to ban single-use plastics, aiming to fulfil the commitment by 2021.

There's little argument to suggest that anything other than moving away from the harmful material will be the best way forward. However, the malleable nature of the product, high volume production potential and wide availability still make it an attractive prospect to manufactures around the world.

So, here are our top tips to help you get on top of your own plastic disposal habits.
The Last Straw!
Many food and drink establishments have ditched their usual straws and have now stocked up with eco-friendly alternatives. Some of the bigger chains have even made a commitment to replacing of all of the harmful straws with ones that are better for the environment.

However, some venues are still persisting with the plastic variation. You could help change this by making a friendly suggestion to the bar staff that healthier versions are now widely available. On a more personal level, you could declare it 'the last straw' and just avoid using them. Whilst this does not solve the problem entirely it will reduce the overall usage.
Produce Bags
The need to keep produce fresh and clean is important but not at the expense of the environment. And, let's be honest, if humans continue to pollute at the rate they are doing then growing the produce in the first place could become difficult.

The UK supermarket chain Morrisons has recently moved to provide old-fashioned paper bags for customers buying loose produce and will cease to offer a plastic option to its customers. It estimates that this will result in a reduction of 150 million fewer plastic bags. And the good news doesn't stop there, other supermarkets have all committed to reducing their 'avoidable waste' too.
Be More Savvy
I t's a sign of just how deep-seated the scourge of plastics are in society that many of the items you use today are likely to fall into the single use category without you having even realized it. Disposable razor blades, female sanitary items, nappies, water battles, even some shopping bags and much more besides are items we use on a daily basis that have a greener alternative. If everyone were to substitute these items then we would be able to make a significant dint in reducing our plastic wastage.

While there is still a concerted effort being made to put an end to the destruction that has already been caused and, hopefully, reverse it, there is still a long way to go. By taking small steps in your everyday life you can play your own role in improving society.

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Single use plastics are the hot topic of the moment - and with good reason. They're non-biodegradable meaning once created they will never disappear from the environment. When consumers open the bin to drop their plastic waste in that may be the last they see of it but it's far from the end of the story.

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There is too much plastic in the system.

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There is too much plastic in the system.

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In the year 2018 it was published. Yes this article agrees with my side because it talks about how by time it the year of 2050's hits there will be more trash in the ocean then fish. The article is made by a bunch of people that came together that wants to help our earth called" The Story of stuff" The URL is ".org" which means it's organized and has right facts. It's to inform you about how plastic will take over the ocean and how it's killing our planet.

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THis article was published in August 16, 2018. THe article relates to my topic, it talks about how restorants by the ocean are trying to get ride of plastic. Mathy Stanislaus is the author of this article. The domain is ".org" which means it's organized and is set up properly. No mistakes. It informs you about how places are trying to take way plastic straws.

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It seems to be the summer of plastic bans. Starbucks, Hyatt, the city of Seattle and others have all committed to phase out plastic straws. Stafford Township in New Jersey passed a plastic bag ban just last month, joining dozens of other American cities and states imposing taxes or bans on single-use plastics.

But is this a good thing?

Not if that's all we do.

The Case for Banning Plastic

Use of single-use plastics (think wrappers, straws and bags) has skyrocketed over the last few decades. But as I explained recently, our ability to recycle these plastics at scale remains poor. Globally, 8 million metric tons of plastic trash leak into our natural spaces each year, harming wildlife, mucking up the ocean and jeopardizing people's livelihoods.

So it's understandable why bans are becoming popular. The beaches of New Jersey, for example, bring in billions of tourism dollars each year, creating jobs and funding local municipal needs. These sprawling, sandy spaces and the busy boardwalks that line them are an important part of local life. There are clear personal and economic incentives to keep these beaches clean, which make plastic bans politically palatable despite the inconvenience.

Monmouth County, New Jersey, which earned nearly $2.5 billion in tourism revenue in 2016, adopted what Clean Ocean Action called the most comprehensive plastic ban in the United States. The law was passed in May 2018, just before the start of beach season, and prohibits local businesses from distributing plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam containers. Local coverage of the ban indicates that it was well-received by residents and business owners. Monmouth Beach Mayor Sue Howard explained that, "If you live on the Shore, and you walk on the beach, and you see plastic straws and Styrofoam containers, you know what the damage is."

Where Plastic Bans Fall Short

It's encouraging that local governments are focusing on passing laws to fight plastic litter. Unfortunately, while these laws may reduce the most visible form of plastic pollution, it could be at the expense of other environmental impacts. That's because, somewhat ironically, disposable plastic bags require fewer resources (land, water, CO ₂ emissions, etc.) to produce than paper, cotton or reusable plastic bags-by a wide margin.

For example, Denmark's Ministry of Environment and Food found that you would need to reuse a paper bag at least 43 times for its per-use environmental impacts to be equal to or less than that of a typical disposable plastic bag used one time. An organic cotton bag must be reused 20,000 times to produce less of an environmental impact than a single-use plastic bag. That would be like using a cotton bag every day for nearly 55 years. (Note that these figures aggregate the bags' impact on water use, CO ₂ emissions, land use and more, but they do not include their impact on plastic pollution.)

Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment.

But these bans leave the impression that they solve the plastics pollution problem without much discussion of  systematic  solutions. As a society, we should think holistically about the products we use and their impacts. We can't just ban bad products-we must invest in alternatives.

How Consumers, Governments and Businesses Can Beat Plastic Pollution

That same Danish study suggests that the most eco-friendly bag option for consumers is polyester, reused at least 35 times. This keeps plastic pollution out of our natural spaces and reduces the per-use environmental impacts of the bag to the lowest-possible levels. However, it will take a lot more than reusable bags to solve the plastics pollution problem. Right now, only about 9 percent of plastics are recycled globally.

As of January 1, China refused to import most recyclable materials from the United States and other developed countries, claiming the materials exceeded acceptable contamination levels. This has backed up the flow of disposed paper and plastic, causing serious problems for local waste management companies. However, there may be an ironic upside to China's decision. For too long, the easy option of shipping excess recyclables to China has resulted in underinvestment in in optimizing plastics, maximizing their recovery and reducing waste.

Governments at the state and federal levels need to team up with private industry to address more systemic issues. We need to invest in redesigning plastics so that they can be readily broken down into their molecular units and remanufactured into new plastics of the same quality, the essence of a closed loop system. We need better recycling technology that can address the major obstacle of recycling plastics: about 25 percent of plastics collected are contaminated and therefore unusable. We need to reinvest government budgets in the infrastructure and associated policies needed for these systemic solutions. Once these technologies are deployed at a large scale, we can start recapturing the economic value of plastics, incentivizing their recovery and recycling, while minimizing plastic pollution and overconsumption of natural resources.

We need a wider array of smart public policies, a recycling infrastructure that's right-sized for the problem, better recycling technology and new business models. Banning single-use plastic bags and straws without significant further action is putting a finger on a spigot at a time when we need to suppress the tidal wave.

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Banning Straws and Bags Won't Solve our Plastic Problem

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It seems to be the summer of plastic bans. Starbucks, Hyatt, the city of Seattle and others have all committed to phase out plastic straws. Stafford Township in New Jersey passed a plastic bag ban just last month, joining dozens of other American cities and states imposing taxes or bans on single-use plastics.

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It was published in January 9,2020.It agrees with what side I'm going for. Courtney Lindwall is the author of this article.The domain".org" so it's well organized and has good facts.There are no spelling nor grammer mistakes. The purpose of this information is to tell the reader about how trash is made and how it effects our earth and ocean.Also how its getting out of hand.

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What Are Single-Use Plastics?

Put simply, single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuel-based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after use-often, in mere minutes. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags.

Though plastic-a chain of synthetic polymers, essentially-was invented in the mid-19th century, it wasn't until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. Manufacturers began replacing traditionally paper or glass staples with lighter or more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for instance. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone.

There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. According to a 2017 study, more than half of non-fiber plastic, which excludes synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, comes from plastic packaging alone, much of which is for single-use items.

Why Is Single-Use Plastic Bad?

Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. Our reliance on these plastics means we are accumulating waste at a staggering rate. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. That's nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.

Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Carrying reusable bags and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives; more on preventing plastic waste can be found below.

Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles, can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isn't recycled at all. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. Single-use plastics in particular-especially small items like straws, bags, and cutlery-are traditionally hard to recycle because they fall into the crevices of recycling machinery and therefore are often not accepted by recycling centers.

Left alone, plastics don't really break down; they just break up. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detect-and are just about everywhere. Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. They've even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animal's body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages.

Single-Use Plastics and Pollution

Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. Litter can be the first stage in a waste stream that enters waterways as plastics tossed on the street are washed away by rain or travel via storm drains into rivers and streams. Our waterway plastic pollution is particularly concentrated: Just ten rivers carry 93 percent of the world's total amount of plastic that enters the oceans via rivers each year.

In 2015 researchers from the University of Georgia estimated that between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic per year make their way into the oceans via people living within 30 miles of a coast. The majority of this pollution-dominated by single-use plastic waste-comes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. (It's also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. For instance, a lot of the plastic produced in Asian countries is for products that serve U.S. demand-and the United States often sends plastic waste back to these countries for recycling.)

Marine animals bear the burden of this influx of garbage into their habitats. Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. Alarmingly, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050. Not only is plastic estimated to kill millions of marine animals and seabirds each year, but it's also contaminating seafood that humans have relied on for millennia, particularly with microplastics in animals' guts.

Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. The process of drilling for plastic's source materials, oil and gas, leads to methane leaking and flaring and is often combined with clearing forests and wetlands that otherwise would have sequestered carbon. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gas-intensive industries in the manufacturing sector. And "cracker plants"-which break, or "crack," ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic products-are energy intensive and highly polluting. In 2015 a mere 24 of these ethane cracker facilities in the United States had the combined carbon output of 3.8 million passenger vehicles. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. That's bad news for our carbon reduction goals: if plastic production continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030 -equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plants-even as the need to curb global climate change becomes more urgent.

Plastic pollution-whether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisis-impacts vulnerable communities first. Even if plastic doesn't end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. This is the case particularly in Southeast Asia, which has begun to import much of the plastic that used to go to China for recycling. Not only does the waste destroy the land itself, but when plastic is incinerated (as is the case for unrecyclable plastic at some illegal facilities) its toxic fumes quickly become a health hazard for residents, leading to everything from skin rashes to cancer. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back.

Should We Ban Single-Use Plastics?

Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. A wave of single-use plastic bans is sweeping the country and the globe-most often on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and takeout clamshells. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. Plastic bag bans-ideally accompanied by a fee on paper bags-are also catching on. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and California's bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent (with some customers opting to pay a 10 cent fee for thicker plastic bags) and has reduced coastal pollution.

What do the bans accomplish? They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production that's contributing to global climate change. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable.

Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. As part of the Break Free From Plastic movement, Greenpeace volunteers conducted an audit of plastic pollution along coastlines, sifting through tens of thousands of individual pieces across 42 countries to identify the pollution's sources. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé products were found most often. Coca-Cola has said that it alone produces three million tons of plastic packaging each year, equivalent to a terrifying 200,000 plastic bottles per minute. Policies like bottle bill laws-which generally require retailers to add a fee on individual bottles, which can then be partially redeemed by customers when they recycle-are a way to increase corporate responsibility for waste while providing a monetary incentive to recycle. In Taiwan, which was once overflowing with so much trash that it spurred public protest and the nickname "Garbage Island," companies now either manage their own waste or subsidize government-run infrastructure. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent.

Some companies are taking initiative on their own. McDonald's swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits.

Avoiding Single-Use Plastics

Individual choices -and the collective shifts they bring about-add up quickly. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good.

Always pack a reusable bag when shopping. (And yes-reusable totes are better for the environment than plastics, recent media claims aside.)

Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers.

Buy in bulk. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs.

Though buying online sometimes has a lower carbon footprint than shopping in a store (skip the express delivery option, if you can), online shipments are still chock-full of plastic. Your best bet to reduce your footprint and plastic waste? Walk, bike, or take public transit to buy in-person.

Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option.

Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go.

Talk to the owners of the restaurants you frequent. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags.

Speak out in support of local plastic bans, whether by calling your local government representative, submitting an op-ed to your city's newspaper, or simply starting conversations with neighbors.

Let companies that make your favorite products know that you care about the packaging. Tweet, call, or send letters to these companies to ask them to switch to more durable, recyclable, compostable, renewable, and/or recycled-content packaging with less fossil fuel-derived plastic.

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Here's everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes.