WHAT ARE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS? WHY ARE THEY A PROBLEM?

Single-use plastics are items made from various forms of plastic (a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or nylon, that can be molded into shape while soft and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form) that are made to be used once and then thrown away. Some examples: the plastic bags grocery stores pack your purchases in; water, soda,, and juice bottles; cleaning product containers; disposable diapers; drink cups and straws; garbage bags; food packaging--the list goes on and on.

 

And here’s the problem: Plastics don’t break down for many, many years, or they break down into tiny, harmful plastic particles. That plastic bag that you throw away today will be around far longer than you will. As one scientist said, these things are only meant to be used for a few minutes or hours, but are designed to last for hundreds of years.

 

Single-use plastics harm:

• The environment. They accumulate on the street, in landfills, in oceans, lakes and rivers. Water treatment plants were
    not designed to remove plastic, so it’s in our drinking water. Plastic from landfills seeps into the fields where the food
    we eat is grown.

• Wildlife. Sea creatures mistake plastic bags, films, and bottles for food and eat them. Sea and land animals can get
    tangled up in plastic fishing lines and other plastic debris.

• You, your family, and the rest of us humans. We drink it, we eat it, and we breathe it in. Tiny plastic particles
    (‘microplastics”) have been found in the blood and in the lungs of human beings. We are just beginning to learn how
    these particles are harmful to your health.

 

RECYCLING DOESN’T HELP!

What about recycling? Can’t single use plastics be broken down and reused, like glass, metal, and paper? Well no.
First of all, most plastic does not end up in the recycling bin. Even if it does, the US generally ships it off to other countries
for the inefficient recycling process—BUT many of these countries have stopped accepting our plastics for recycling. Even if plastics get into the recycling stream, they can only be recycled a few times. And the recycling process causes air pollution.