The Last (Plastic) Straw: Do Your Part in the War Against Plastic Pollution
Members of Middle Township’s lacrosse team participate in cleaning up Stone Harbor beaches.
I often wonder about my role … my contribution … my impact. Perhaps it is because I think about it so much that the ever-increasing awareness of the impact that the American lifestyle has on our coasts, beaches and oceans has become so alarming. I am talking about our disposable society, and the most stark, in-your-face, awareness comes when you really open your eyes and look around. Disposable, single-use plastic pollution is ever present and it’s time to do something about it.
Undoubtedly, you have seen plastic grocery bags tangled in trees, straws littering our beaches, throw-away takeout utensils washed up in the dunes, bits of Styrofoam in the wrack line. The typical person uses all of these items for a few minutes, and then they persist for hundreds of years. Much of it will make it to a landfill where they will sit for essentially eternity; a very small amount will be recycled to be transformed into a new product, but increasingly a notable portion finds its way into our waterways and the ocean.
The numbers are staggering – almost too mind-numbing to grasp. Consider the reality: A plastic shopping bag has a working life of about 15 minutes, and we use 15 trillion a year. The back end is the problem: They take more than 200 years to break down. This is just the beginning of the story. Plastic straws have become a mainstay for us. Order a takeout drink, or even sit in a restaurant and, bam, a plastic straw – whether you need one or not. Do you actually need one? In the U.S., some estimates are that we use 500 million plastic straws every day. That’s enough straws touching end to end to circle the earth at the equator 2.5 times. Every day! They, too, don’t break down for hundreds of years. So clearly we have created a huge problem.
Plastic pollution has rapidly become a global problem. Estimates are that after we’ve incinerated, recycled, or buried them, a staggering 5.5 billion tons of plastics remain. The remains take centuries or longer to break down – and breaking down often means breaking into smaller pieces and not truly going away. Those same estimates indicate that half the plastic ever made was produced in the past 15 years. Each year, 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals die from ingesting plastic. It happens right here: ospreys decorating their nests with plastic grocery bags that entangle chicks, or seals on our beaches entangled in plastics. A 2016 Ellen MacArthur Foundation study predicted the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050 if no actions are taken to reduce the flow of plastics into waterways.
I could go on and on with more staggering and numbing facts, but I would instead prefer to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Every one of us has a role, and it will take every one of us demanding change and changing our behavior. The root of the problem is our disposable ways. The most important step is to REDUCE our use and need for single-use disposable plastics. Many steps are really easy. Start with a reusable bag for all your shopping. Canvas or cotton is by far the best way to go. Some of us have gotten pretty good at taking them to the grocery store or farmers market. We need to do a lot more. We also need to take them into the clothing and hardware stores. Just say no to those single-use plastic bags. If you do end up with some of those bags, recycle them! They don’t go in the regular recycling bin, so it takes an extra step to return them to the chain grocery store. This is probably why less than 3 percent are recycled nationally.
Plastic water bottles are another incredible convenience that confuses me. The water from the tap is actually better regulated and guaranteed safer than many brands of bottled water, or its simply tap water put in a bottle. Investing in a reusable bottle and filling it with tap water is a great way to help cut down on single-use plastic.
Straws? Just say no! Tell the wait staff when you sit down not to bring you a straw. Once it’s on the table, it’s in the trash. Sure, they’re great for kids, but we used to manage without them. If you have to have straws, try paper straws. They also make metal ones that fold down for easier transport.
Styrofoam is a remarkable problem in its own right. It effectively never breaks down and it isn’t recyclable. In the environment, it simply breaks into smaller and smaller bits, creating problems throughout the environment. There are also valid concerns that the chemicals in Styrofoam leach into hot foods.
Thankfully, many local merchants here are aware of the issues and are already making changes. Many food establishment have already stopped using Styrofoam takeout containers. Many have moved away from plastic boxes and are instead using recycled and recyclable cardboard containers. Some have switched to paper straws or only provide straws upon request. Laudable efforts, but it’s not enough.
Both Avalon’s and Stone Harbor’s borough councils are working on ordinances to ban single-use plastic bag use on the island. Styrofoam and plastic straws would be banned also if the measures move through as being proposed. There are also provisions to make disposable food-service products like forks, spoons and knives more environmentally friendly. These are great efforts that can be effective at reducing the amount of plastics we all use. However, it’s really only the tip of the iceberg.
Unless each of us take a hard look at the way we live and make adjustments, these are only small changes. Consider where you can reduce the use of single-use plastics, and act on it. Reduce the amount of plastics that go with you to the beach. The unintentional loss of trash into the marine environment can be reduced by removing opportunities for its loss. Take it out, bring it back. When you find you have plastics – or any other recyclable item – recycle it! Learn what is recyclable in your area and recycle correctly. Don’t take a vacation from recycling! A huge problem exists with contaminated recycling bins. When people put non-recyclable items in a recycle bin, often the entire bin has to be placed in the trash. This severely limits the effectiveness of recycling.
Finally, consider the future. The numbers speak for themselves. Most of us remember a time before all the convenience of single-use plastics, and it doesn’t take that much effort to get back to that lifestyle. I guess another way to think about it is, what do we want our legacy to be? A sea of plastic pollution? We are well on our way. Let’s do something about it. Let’s all use a lot less of it and recycle a lot more of it. Something worth teaching our kids and changing our lifestyle to achieve.
2018 Summer Activities
FREE WITH ADMISSION FROM JUNE 12 TO LABOR DAY:
Hooked on Fishing and Crabbing at the Dock – Saturday and Sunday.
Salt Marsh Safari – Daily.
Creature Feature – Monday through Friday.
Catch ’o The Day – Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Aquarium Feeding – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
Totally Turtle Tuesdays – Helping Hands Wednesdays and Horseshoe Crabmania Thursdays – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Dune and Beach Exploration – Wednesday.
Sponsored by the Avalon Free Public Library
ADDITIONAL FEES APPLY:
Back-Bay Birding and Wildlife Cruise – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Back-Bay Kayaking and Paddle Boarding – Monday through Friday.
Evening Back-Bay Kayaking – Wednesday, and Thursday.
For details or to make a reservation, visit wetlandsinstitute.org or call 609.368.1211
