Plastics and Recycling
Recycling is the process of taking a product after use and using all or part of it to make another product. Recycling is a simple, but effective way to start helping out the environment. Many items that can be recycled are items made from materials such as aluminum, plastic water bottles, glass, and certain kinds of paper.
82 million tons of materials are recycled in the United States
53.4 % of all paper products are being recycled
Each person produces 4.6 lbs. of trash per day in the United States
Find a recycling center near you! Check out the City and County of Honolulu's website for more information about what goes in each bin, and more tips and info: www.opala.org
Environmental harm of plastics
Chemicals in plastics make them stronger, more durable, and more flexible. These chemicals also make them practically impossible to break down, and they can last up to 400 years, but in reality never goes away.
As of 2018, 12.7 million tons of plastic enters the oceans per year.
Microplastics are plastic waste that have broken down into tiny particles, less than ⅕ of an inch large. They are found in waters around the world, and make up much of the ocean garbage patches such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Plastic enters the ocean because of runoff from landfills and litter. At the rate that plastic is flowing into the ocean, it is predicted that by 2050, the mass of plastic in the ocean will exceed the mass of fish.
Millions of marine animals, including endangered species, are killed by plastics each year. Plastic fishing gear & plastic six-pack soda rings entangle and strangle seals, whales, and turtles, and many other fish and marine species die by ingesting microplastics which block their digestive systems, cause malnutrition, or poison them via the toxins in plastics.
Fracking, which is a process to extract natural gas and oils (fossil fuels) from the earth, is extremely bad for the environment, as it pollutes water, air, and soil, as well as destabilizes earth’s actual underground rock formations. One of the main purposes of fracking is to produce plastic, which is made from fossil fuels. So, to stop fracking, the demand for and extreme use of plastic needs to decrease as well.
79% of plastic ends up in landfills or the environment, 9% is recycled, and 12% is burned.
Plastic Alternatives & Solutions
Many solutions to reduce the harm of plastics need to be enacted at government and corporation levels, but here’s what you can do:
Shift towards a sustainable, healthy mindset, rather than a convenience mindset.
Focus on the root of the problem rather than reactions to the problem (i.e. don’t focus solely on clean ups, but stop using/throwing away plastic in the first place). The only true, lasting solution is to stop producing plastic and stop using it.
Wean off of disposable plastics, especially single-use ones.
Don’t buy plastic water bottles.
Eat out less to cut down on takeout plastics.
Buy items secondhand (instead of new plastic items). [link to sustainable shopping page]
Become civically engaged. Sign petitions and urge your local officials to introduce and/or support legislation that pushes for plastic taxes and/or bans.
Recycle
Recycling Process: not just you throwing a plastic bottle into a blue bin, but recycling = the whole process of making your throwaways reusable again which includes sorting, washing, cleaning, and shredding that thrown away plastic. So, it is important you recycle correctly so that recycling factories can do their job more efficiently.
3 Rules:
Recycle clean bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard.
Keep liquids and foods out of your recycling.
Do not use plastic trash bags or bag your recyclables before putting them into the recycling bin.
IF buying plastic, buy Type 1 or 2, and RECYCLE after.
Biodegradable does NOT = breakdown
Biodegradable = compostable, so they can be FULLY broken down naturally.
Broken down plastics = microplastics; they will just become smaller and smaller & will last forever.
