Plastic World, Essay Example

The world of today is a much different than it was 100 years ago, for many reasons.  One of the most visible changes is from the material from which items in our world today are made.  Most items, from bags to computers, are made of plastic.  It is hard to go a single day without buying or using something that contains plastic.  Plastic has allowed for major advances in technology, science and medicine.  It is a material of much convenience, as it is light, durable, and disposable.  However, it is its disposability that has become the major problem.  From plastic grocery bags to plastic bottles to plastic computers, our world is slowly being drowned underneath a sea of plastic.  It is an ecological catastrophe from which a solution or an escape is far from certain.

A recent quote from an article in Scientific American stated, “One of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet is the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics.” (Knoblauch 2009) The quote is from David Barnes, a lead author and researcher for the British Antarctic Survey.  Barnes wrote an article as part of a collaborative effort by over 60 scientists worldwide that aimed to present the first comprehensive review of the impact of plastics on the environment.  Plastics have an incredibly long life, so their impact on the environment will be surmounting in the coming years.  The use of plastic is on the rise.

Plastic water bottles are one area where we can see a dramatic increase in plastic consumption and disposal.  In a recent report by the International Bottled Water Association, date showed that in 1990 2.2 billion gallons of bottled water were sold, and 17 years later, in 2007, 8.8 billion gallons were sold.  (Gashler 2008).   As tap water falls out of favor, due to contamination and low taste quality, more and more consumers are opting to buy bottled purified drinking water.  Cornell University professor and environmentalist Doug James said the irony of bottled water is that it’s marketed as clean and healthy when its production contributes to unnecessary environmental degradation.  “Fiji water, for example,” he said. “A one-liter bottle is taken out of the aquifer of this little island, and shipped all the way across the world, producing like half a pound of greenhouse gases so you can have this one-liter bottle of water.” (Gashler 2008)

Grocery bags have also been a major culprit in the plastic crisis.  Plastic bags are cheap, costing stores on average only 1 cent per bag.  The result is a world flooded in plastic bags.  They can be seen everywhere, used to line home trash bags, carry clothes to the gym, as well as many other varied uses.  (Roach 2003)  It is estimated that about a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year.  The success of the plastic bag has meant a dramatic increase in the amount of sacks found floating in the oceans where they choke, strangle, and starve wildlife and raft alien species around the world, according to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, England, who studies the impact of marine debris. (Roach 2003)

The impact may be hidden from most people, but if you are a sailor or an oceanographer, you are all too familiar with the visible results.  In the Pacific Ocean, stretching from the coast of California to Japan is the world’s largest sea of floating plastic.  Roughly twice the size of the continental United States, the plastic soup is increasing in size every day.  Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or “trash vortex”, believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. (Marks 2008)  The trash is held in place by swirling underwater currents.  When currents bring the plastic mass close to Hawaiian Islands, the soup will “burp” plastic and beaches will become covered in plastic rubbish.

The solution to the plastic crisis is far from clear.  However, there are a number of successful solutions that are being implemented to reduce the use of plastic that is not necessary.  For example, in Ireland, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have heavily taxed the totes or banned their use outright. Several other regions, including England and some U.S. cities, are considering similar actions. (Roach 2003)  By encouraging shoppers to bring their own reusable bags on a shopping trip unnecessary disposable plastic bag use is being curbed.  Recycling centers for plastic bottles are now becoming more commonplace all over the world.  Creative individuals like Richie Sowa, are finding new ways to use the existing plastic trash in a positive way.   In 1998, Sowa created The Spiral Island, an island built upon a floating collection of used plastic bottles, all netted together to support a bamboo and plywood structure. Located in Mexico, the original was 66 by 54 feet and was able to support full-sized mangroves to provide shade and privacy, yet also able to be moved from place to place by its creator as need with a simple motorized system. (Ecoble 2007).  Since plastic is an incredible durable material, it has a lot of promise for use in construction.

Plastic has made huge contributions to our world in terms of the technology it has allowed us to create.  The menace of plastic is due to its use as a disposable resource.  Since it is doubtful that plastic production will stop, then we must continue to use our creativity to find better ways of dealing with plastic items.  Eliminating unnecessary plastic items, such as plastic grocery bags and plastic water and soda bottles, may be possible someday in the future.  Until then, implementing recycling programs and putting plastic waste to use can go a long way in keeping plastic trash out of our oceans and polluting the environment.

References

Ecoble.  (2007, November 18).  Man (re)builds Mexican island paradise on 250,000 recycled floating bottles.  Message posted  http://ecoble.com/2007/11/18/250000-bottles-amazing-recycled-mexican-island-paradise/

Gashler, Krisy. (2008, July 6).  Thirst for bottled water unleashed flood of environmental problems. USA Today.  Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-06-07-bottled-water_N.htm

Knoblauch, Jessica A. (2009, July 2).  Plastic not-so-fantastic: how the versatile material harms the environment and human health.  Scientific American.  Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=plastic-not-so-fantastic

Marks, Cathy.  (2008, February 5).  The world’s rubbish dump: a tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan.  The Independent.  Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html

Roach, John. (2003, September 3).  Are plastic bags sacking the environment? National Geographic News.  Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0902_030902_plasticbags.html