A walk on the beach: plastic everywhere

 

I was going to write about a completely different topic but during a walk on the beach to clear my head I came across this plastic chair, which has prompted me to write this post about plastics.

I also found this great infographic on plastic with the striking title sorry, What? EVERY piece of plastic ever made still exist TODAY. Think about it: Every piece of plastic ever made still exists today. We still continue production like there is no problem with this. Plastic started at the beginning of the twentieth century and its lifespan is hundreds of years.

The infographic also gives a list of 10 tops things what we can do to stop using plastic.

 

Why should I care?

A few things in this infographic stand out for me:

• 92% of Americans aged 6 or older test positive for BPA (Bisphenol A), a chemical.

 

• Chemicals added to plastic can be absorbed by humans.

 

These chemicals are endocrine disrupters, the hormonal system in our bodies, which is of vital importance for our health.

 

• Plastic is the largest source of ocean litter. We are putting our rubbish in landfills and oceans. We are using the world as a big rubbish bin.

 

• Plastic grow in volume at a rate of 9% every year.

 

The obvious solution to me is TO STOP PRODUCING MORE PLASTIC.

 

Obviously there is no political will to do what it is in the interest of the planet and the species that inhabit it, including humans.

 

Take control of your health. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

 

The obvious solution is to stop buying more plastic.

Plastic has nowhere to go

When I started recycling (process which could be described as separating the rubbish into categories and moving it somewhere else) I realised that plastic has nowhere to go because:

Plastic is not biodegradable

Plastic is not really recyclable

Only a small amount of plastic is recyclable, namely #1 and #2.

Funny enough, recycling plastics was encouraged by the plastic industry in the 1980s, in response of the increased concerns about health and waste.
http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/conflicts-in-chemistry/the-case-of-plastics/all-history-of-plastics.aspx

 

If it is not good for the oceans it is not good for us either

Plastic is just a symptom of the throw away, convenience society we have at the moment. In sharp contrast, Nature doesn’t throw away anything. Everything is used and reused; even you and the atoms that make up your body are reused again. There is ZERO WASTE.

When you start reducing plastics in your life you are not only helping your health and your family’s health but you are also helping the planet.

 

We are connected

When we heavily pollute the environment we are slowly killing ourselves since we are not independent of the Earth. We are part of the same system.

 

Whatever we do to the Earth we are doing it to ourselves