Our dependence on plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, is going to kill us. 

America, being one of the largest plastic product producers in the world, claims to be making various conscious efforts to be  green. “Green” is a term used for a multitude of conservative and ecologically friendly methods of generating energy, reducing pollution, and reusing existing pollutants. America’s claims of a clean country are dubious at best, according to a plethora of sources only about 10.5% (4.) of plastics in America are recycled. Several times that are dumped in landfills. The remaining quantity of plastics are shipped to other countries. 

The United States Should not ship its waste to outlying countries because the waste can cause several dangers, including, and not limited to, poor countries not being able to process the pollutants, the aforementioned pollutants therefore spreading and disrupting or entirely destroying local ecosystems, and, finally, the hazard presented toward the citizens of those afflicted lower countries. Additionally poorer countries might not have a choice or be able to resist if America decides to send its waste there.

One major problem for more impoverished countries on the receiving end of the U.S.A.’s obscene quantities of plastic is that these nations cannot properly process the pollutants being shipped to them. For example “only 8% of plastic in Kenya is recycled with the remainder being landfilled or incinerated or in some instances ended up in the natural environment.”(6. “Kenya Plastics Pact”) The reason for this is, Kenya as a developing nation cannot afford to properly produce energy for this process or execute it in an automated or sub automated way. Yet, despite this obvious lack of capability the United States continues to send nearly 10 million tonnes of plastics to Kenya yearly. This is important because these plastics that are not properly recycled spread across the countryside and can cause serious problems for the local ecosystems.

Another problem presented towards nations who contract the affliction of America’s synthetic ossification is that over 80% of the 10 million tonnes of plastic in addition to the countries own are landfilled or pollute the natural environment. “In fact, there are no collection services in rural areas. This leads to leakage into terrestrial and marine ecosystems.”(7 “Plastic Pollution Policy Country Profile: Kenya”) The plastic that leaks into these ecosystems can be swallowed by local organisms and suffocate them or cause extreme inflammation and swelling leading to eventual death. This plastic can also harm the plants in the region by blocking out low ground dwelling plants and preventing foliage from gaining sunlight, vital for photosynthesis and, therefore, life. These animal and plant deaths stack up eventually disrupting, or, in certain circumstances entirely destroying ecosystems. Ecosystems are critical for life on earth to function correctly, and if enough fall the rest will too, bringing down us with them.

The third and perhaps most serious reason I choose to show is the safety hazard of excessive quantities of plastic present to humans as up to one million people die worldwide every year due to diseases and complications caused by plastic inhalation. According to the graph located above (8 “Air Pollution and Health Impacts in Africa”) nearly 6000 newborn Kenyans died from direct air pollution or complications as a result of air pollution. Kenya's national total birth count that year was 1.2 million. 

This pollution poses a threat to more than ecosystems or even kenya. If we do not start taking this problem seriously, it may well kill us. Pollution death rates worldwide are increasing sub exponentially every year with more diseases and health issues  being linked to the toxic emissions.

The United States of America needs to stop sending plastics to countries without their consent or they could cause a devastating  impact on the ecosystems and the populace in these areas, potentially triggering a chain reaction causing the downfall of entire biomes. And, if, perhaps a moral argument is not enough to persuade you than maybe a material one could, recycling creates over 500,000 jobs and generates over 100 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. However, one could always argue that these underdeveloped impoverished countries simply are not worth our time and are simply there to exploit as they will eventually handle it or die trying, it does save billions of dollars on energy and labor.

We have already begun digging our polluted grave, shall we climb out or wait ‘till the bell tolls?

Works Cited

8. Unknown, “Air Pollution and Health Impacts in Africa” stateofglobalair.org. 2019