Seven Mile State of Mind: Join The Plastic Pollution Revolution

Joe and Rachel Krajicek do their part for the environment.

My coffee maker’s carafe cracked last week, and I’ve been improvising on ways to get my morning coffee. If I place my mug where the carafe goes and push the spout just the right way with a spoon, I can get my mug to fill.

Of course, I could just head to Seashore Ace to buy a new carafe or maybe a new machine, but I am sorry to say, I’ve just taken to buying two takeout coffees in the afternoon and saving one for the morning. It’s the easy way out, but I am embarrassed because that plastic-coated takeout cup and plastic lid aren’t going in the recycle bin. No, they’re going into the trash. And faced with some typical island winds, just maybe they’re escaping my trash and making their way onto our beaches, into our ocean, into a nest or even into the belly of one of our wildlife friends.

I didn’t mean any harm; I just didn’t pay attention. Like many of us, the business of everyday life precluded me from paying attention to what kind of impact my behavior has on the world around me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely void of awareness of my environmental impact. It’s not like I don’t recycle or pick up trash when I see it, but I know I can do better. I just needed a little push into understanding that a Seven Mile State of Mind includes an awareness that each of us must contribute to keep our island vibrant and beautiful.

So, I’ve been enlightened. Recently many on the island have begun to address the issue of limiting single-use plastics in Avalon and Stone Harbor. Some local residents and Stone Harbor Council members have begun to address the issue with a movement toward maybe banning but certainly limiting the use of single-use plastic bags. Avalon Borough Council explored the issue of single use plastic and how to limit it and its impact on marine life at a meeting in June. They are considering ways to minimize the effects of these products in 2019. In general, the movement toward encouraging limiting single use water bottles, plastic straws and plastic take-out cup lids is gaining steam following the instituting of ordinances in other New Jersey seashore towns. Clearly, the idea is gaining momentum here, and certainly, it should be influencing our Seven Mile Island State of Mind.

The problem in a nutshell is this: It is estimated that worldwide 500 billion single-use plastic bags (used for approximately 15 minutes) find their way to landfills, our environment and our oceans each year, clogging drains, littering beaches and tangling and hurting wildlife. Single-use cups and lids stay around for a long, long time. Plastic water bottles, including the small lids, and plastic straws are particularly dangerous for sea life and stay around forever. The small size and slender shape of straws apparently make them easy to ingest. Recent reports of fish, birds and other wildlife ingesting plastic, perhaps because it once contained food, are making their way into the public consciousness in a major way. It is even thought that some of the plastic in our area not only enters locally, but also makes its way here through the infrastructure when it ends up in the streets of areas as far away as Philadelphia. It seems that what makes plastic useful for people, its durability and light weight, is exactly what makes it dangerous to wildlife. Plastic hangs around a long time, and a lot of it floats, making it readily available to cause harm.

So, what to do? It might be ambitious to expect everyone to give up convenience completely. In fact, there is already a move in the market for plastic alternatives that are made from corn starch and other biodegradable sources. Awareness is already growing thanks to social media as well as restrictions on use. But in the meantime, we can reduce, reuse, recycle. Some of our neighbors have already begun.

Mimi Szegda, of Stone Harbor, has helped bring awareness of the issue to the island and shares some of what she personally has done: “The obvious is refusing plastic bags at stores and always bringing my own reusable ones. I keep extras in my car, so having one on hand is never a problem. I began shopping at a market which requires you to BYO. Choosing to frequent companies who put the planet first is a huge step in solving the problem. I have also reached out to like-minded friends and neighbors, as well as local government officials to begin a dialogue on ways to help get plastic bags banned in our area. I also now carry a stainless straw and refuse plastic ones. It’s sometimes hard remembering to say

‘No Straw!’ but it’s becoming a good habit of mine. Another idea is never buying water bottles. We have a Brita and refill our own reusable bottles at home. My motto has become #bethechange and I share this fre-quently on social media. Little steps to reduce plastic can make a big impact, so do your part and spread the word!”

So, there are some easy changes that, if practiced widely, can make a difference at least in our own backyard. Further, let’s move toward storing foods in glass – I have begun using mason jars and stainless-steel containers, and even attempting to halve our use of snack and sandwich ziplock bags – yes, we all overuse these because they are just too darn convenient! I‘d like to issue the challenge and take it with you. Let’s spend this summer making some changes. I’ll follow Mimi’s lead, as none of those suggestions are too difficult, and I’ll make the effort to cut my use of storage bags, too. With a little thoughtful planning, I can do it. I’ve already stocked my car with reusable totes and gathered my collection of single-use plastic grocery bags for dropping off at the recycling site at the local grocery store. (I can’t make them disappear, so this is next best.) I’ll look into some environmentally friendly bamboo products for outdoor serving wear and even bamboo toothbrushes.

Will we change the world? Not likely, but we can make a difference in our Seven Mile world. Just by paying attention and talking about it, we can alter our own footprint and guide a few friends into developing an environmentally enlightened Seven Mile State of Mind.