Activity 3.3.3.1 Current Events in Plastic Pollution

 

Current Events in Plastic Pollution


1. Exploratory

Basic facts and knowledge found in my article were that the extensive usage of plastics outside of the military did not begin until after World War II. It is believed that 90.5% of all plastic garbage produced has been recycled. 79% of plastic trash has ended up in landfills or as litter. While the remaining 12% has been burned. That being said, plastic debris has been discovered in all major ocean basins, with an estimated 4 to 12 million metric tons of plastic garbage produced on land entering the marine environment in 2010. Plastic manufacturing has grown faster than any other industrial material during the previous 65 years.

2. Diagnostic

The same properties that make plastics so useful in a variety of industries- durability and resistance to degradation- make these materials difficult or impossible for nature to ingest. The great majority of monomers used to produce plastics, such as ethylene and propylene, are now generated from fossil hydrocarbons. As a result, they accumulate rather than degrade in landfills or the natural environment. None of the regularly used polymers are biodegradable.

3. Cause and Effect

The only way to permanently eliminate plastic waste is by destructive thermal treatment, such as combustion or pyrolysis.

4. Priority

The most important issue at hand is finding solutions on how to permanently eliminate plastic waste or maybe even decrease the amount of plastic pollution we're in. Also, of finding solutions to use plastic less.

5. Application

This applies to me because I might be a part of this plastic pollution problem. On a daily basis, I use plastic without even realizing it. I throw plastic away without thinking twice about how it may harm our environment. And as statistics show, I'm most definitely not the only one. But after today's module, the amount of information I have retained will definitely make me look for plastic alternatives to at least help our environment a little. This is related to culture as we have studied in this environmental class because plastic pollution is being fought all around the world, in almost every culture I have no doubt.

6. Critical

As I have said above, I have not thought twice about the plastic that I'm throwing away daily or the amount of it I use. Now, after learning about how much we are fighting plastic pollution, I am more conscious about where I'm throwing plastic and how I’m using it. This module changed my thinking because now I am determined to find several alternatives with plastic materials to at least be of some help to my environment. Just seeing the statistics of how much plastic one consumes and uses every day is so eye-opening.

 

References:

Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made | Science Advances

Howard, B. C., Gibbens, S., Zachos, E., & Parker, L. (2019, June 10, update). A running list of action on plastic pollution. Environment. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/ocean-plastic-pollution-solutions/

 

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