Running head:PLASTIC WASTE AND THE SOLUTION 1

Plastic Waste and The Solution

Jessica Contreras - Linares

Arizona State University

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Abstract

In this essay, the author is discussing an ongoing environmental issue and brings up

possible solutions to help maintain a better environment. She goes into depth about how the issue

of plastic waste affects our waters and environments and gives her readers an idea on what they

can do as consumers to help minimize the issue. The author of this essay also shines a light on

the positive and benefiting things that plastic brings into our society.

Keywords:​ Plastic, Waste, Oceans, solutions, recycle

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Plastic Waste and The Solution

In our society, plastic encompasses a majority of our daily life. Plastic has become the

number one material when it comes to mass production of sustainable, flexible, versatile and

inexpensive products. It has become a part of our routine, without ever giving it a second

thought, plastic is in everything we use; from frames, utensils, tools, toys, supplies, it's even in

the air we breathe.

Even though plastic is known as the least expensive material and is also the most popular,

it has been shown that plastic is causing a substantial amount of harm to our planet and its

environment and the life that habitats Earth in numerous ways.

What About It?

Studies have shown that plastic production increases by eight percent each year and with

that being said, over the last ten years, more plastic has been produced than in the last century

combined. Slowly, our planet has been decaying as time goes on. The major production of

plastic, although it benefits our society with assisting us in accomplishing our daily tasks, plastic

is not helping our environment and the planet we call home. Most of the plastic we use ends up

in our oceans and rivers as trash or waste and is also affecting our wildlife on a daily basis.

More than 250 million tons of plastic is being

produced around the world. Out of those 250

million tons, 7 million tons of plastic end up in

our oceans and wildlife. Plastic grocery bags are

being thrown away and disposed of incorrectly

and end up in our oceans, these bags are taking a major toll on our marine life and are harming
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them in a way unimaginable making them the number one cause of plastic pollution. Marine life,

like fish and mainly whales for example, are confusing plastic bags for food since they resemble

the shape and form of jellyfish, and end up eating them since jellyfish are a main source of food

in their diet. Plastic straws have been seen to end up stuck in the noses of many turtles. Fish end

up entangled in the plastic holders that come with the packs of canned sodas from the store. But

the biggest issue is the consumption of plastic in marine life. Studies have shown that marine life

swallow twelve to twenty-four tons of plastic per year according to a blog posted by the New

York Times. If the plastic waste does not end soon, our oceans will be pools of plastic and our

marine life will no longer be in existence, it will become something kids only learn from

textbooks in their middle-school science classes.

Plastic also serves as transportation for invasive and harmful bacteria that can survive for

up to hundreds of years. Some compounds found in plastic can also be absorbed by our bodies

and have been shown to alter hormones that cause reproductive and health issues in animal

studies. These bacteria can become extremely dangerous if consumed through plastic. The

floating plastic in our oceans have been seen to begin

taking a toll on our once bright and colorful coral reef

that would protect marine life from predators coming.

This once beautiful sight of the ocean, filled with bright

pinks and oranges, has now become a gray, saddening

view as it begins to die, just like our planet has been

slowly.
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The Bright Side.

Although plastic has been sought out to be deemed as having so many negative

consequences, plastic does come with its benefits. Since its conception, plastic was produced to

help create products to last consumers a long time

while also not costing much to produce or buy at the

store. Plastic has been used for multiple benefiting

purposes. For example, in the medical field, plastic has

been seen to be used for synthetic hearts, IV bags,

prosthetic arms and legs, synthetic organs, syringes, etc. Plastic has also helped to create long

lasting, durable designs for construction for many places like homes and offices. Plastics have

also reformed and changed the way electronics are today which many people rely on for their

day to day job responsibilities and tasks. Plastics also serve to us as additional protection, when

cooking or playing sports for example, or performing any dangerous activity, there have been

many products created with the purpose of keeping us and our body safe from the hot oils or fast

paced baseballs.

Some plastics have been seen to occur in nature, these plastics are considered to be

“organic” and come from things such as trees and plants. Other types of plastics have additives

that make then bacteria free or fire resistant for example.

There are also plastics with the purpose of helping us only a few times, like plastic straws

or water bottles, where we give it one use and throw away. These plastic products help us take

our groceries to our car for example, or to consume an iced coffee when in a rush to work.
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What Can We Do?

Although plastic has been extremely beneficial for us and our society, it has caused a

great harm to our environment. With that being said, there is no need to cut off the use of plastic

completely, but there are numerous solutions to fixing the issue of plastic waste in our society.

Many of these solutions are extremely simple and are just a matter of changing our bad habits.

For example, instead of using plastic bags when grocery shopping, try

bringing in your own reusable shopping bag and help reduce the

number of plastic bags being thrown away. These bags, although made

out of plastic, are meant to last a long time and also cost less than on

dollar at most local supermarkets. Small things like not using plastic

straws and cups, can create a major difference in our marine life and using a metal straw and a

reusable cup is a great alternative and very inexpensive. Avoiding frozen foods can also help our

environments since the packaging these foods come in are mostly, 90% if not 100% plastic. In

addition to all of these solutions, when going to a coffee shop, you can try bringing in your own

cup and help reduce the number of cups being disposed of. Some places, like Starbucks for

example, even give you a discount on your final purchase for bringing in a reusable coffee cup,

by doing that, you help save the planet and save some money at the same time. And that is also

the case when choosing to buy products in bulk. When buying things in bulk, less plastic is used

on these products and also seem to be cheaper at stores like Sam’s Club and Costco instead of

buying single products at Walmart or Target. And the biggest, obvious solution is to recycle.

Disposing of plastics correctly is simple and by far the best way to help save our planet.
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Our planet is decaying rapidly as the years go by. Reducing your use of plastic or

disposing of them correctly can help extend the life of our planet by many years. Scientists have

predicted that our planet has about 30 years left to sustain human life with last few of those years

having to wear masks and stay indoors to not breathe the air filled

with the bacteria that plastics carry, unless we switch our ways of

using and disposing of plastics. These small actions can lead to

major impact, think about this information next time you are at the

store looking for products you may need.

There are many websites online and articles in books that can help

you learn more about disposing plastics correctly. It takes less than

thirty seconds to recycle all trash that can be recycled. When plastic and paper are recycled,

those materials get a second chance of being used. They are sanitized and then made into

something new. Instead of those materials ending up in a landfill or in our oceans and wildlife,

they are now in a home or office getting used and staying away from our animals. By doing this,

you can help reduce the amount of plastic that harms our planet and the life that populates it and

is also helping our planet remain healthy and green for many years to come.
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References

7 Ways To Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.oceanicsociety.org/blog/1720/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today.

Ditvoorst, A., Seleky, E., Plastic Soup Foundation, & Plastic Soup Foundation. (2017,

May 17). What to do with plastic waste? Retrieved from

https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/files/what-to-do-with-plastic-waste/#av_section_2

Facts . About Plastic . Help - Plastic Oceans Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/

Fischer, D. (2018, December 22). The environmental toll of plastics. Retrieved from

https://www.ehn.org/plastic-environmental-impact-2501923191.html

Plastics | Uses, Benefits, and Chemical Safety Facts. (2019, January 03). Retrieved from

https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/plastics/

Wassener, B. (2011, July 08). Fish Ingesting Plastic Waste, Study Finds. Retrieved from

https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/fish-ingesting-plastic-waste-study-finds/