The Negative Effects Of Plastics And Its Effects On Everyday Life

Is plastic really that harmless innovation that saves us time and energy without any repercussions? “80% of plastic waste in the ocean originates on land, and recycling rates are poor, with just 9% of plastic in the U.S. recycled, according to the EPA.” - Kieron Marks. Massive amounts of our plastic begin on land and appear in the ocean. The majority of plastic that is in the ocean is in a microscopic form which makes the plastic extremely difficult to find let alone clean up. This affects not only the ocean life by killing 1 million sea creatures a year, but it also has effects on the fishing and the shipping industry, along with tourism. Furthermore, the pollution causes 13 billion dollars in damage to the marine environment every year. This

In the article When the Mermaids Cry” The Great Plastic Tide by Claire Le Guern Lytle, she wrote “For more than 50 years, global production and consumption of plastics have continued to rise. An estimated 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012, and confirming and upward trend over the past years” This means that more and more trash is added to the 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the ocean. Almost everything around us is made out of plastic, this is later misused and ending in the wrong place. The Center for Biological Diversity wrote “In the first decade of this century, we made more plastic than all the plastic in history up to the year 2000. And every year, billions of pounds of plastic end up in the world’s oceans. Most ocean pollution starts out on land and is carried by wind and rain to the sea. Once in the water, there is a near-continuous accumulation of waste.” Our plastic is misplaced and it escalates from there. However, plastic pollution hurts us as well. “Trash in the water compromises the health of humans, wildlife and the livelihoods that depend on a healthy ocean;” wrote a non-profit group called Ocean Conservation. If our oceans are covered in trash, everyone that relies on the ocean is going to suffer. The effect is not just in our health, it also affects our economy. Ocean Conservation also

Many of us think that there is a simple solution to ocean pollution, that solution being recycling. We don’t think that recycling is difficult, or would take much effort, so we often overlook it. Unfortunately, it takes more work than we think, and out of the 33.6 million tons of plastic we discard each year, less than 8% is actually recycled (“What Happens To All That Plastic?” Cho, Renee, http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu). That means that we throw about 30 million tons of plastic into the ocean and landfills every single year, and that number is bound to increase, as it is such a huge part of our daily lives. In our world, we are practically surrounded by plastic, when you think about it. Every day, many of us use grocery bags, bottles, straws, containers, toys, and that list has continued to grow. When we use plastic products, we aren’t thinking about the long term problem of what happens to it, or where it ends up; and that just goes to show how much plastic has really taken over our lives. A large quantity of the plastic that we use we only use once and then throw away, leading to a surplus of trash in the oceans. All of that trash causes huge problems for

Walking through the traditional grocery store, consumers find hundreds of plastic items to make their lives more convenient. Individually wrapped pop tarts, plastic zip lock bags to store sub sandwiches for lunch, deodorant cases, plastic combs to groom hair, diapers, and soda bottles. Unless specifically requested to carry a cloth bag, even the bags we use to carry our groceries home are produced plastic. To society, these are items of convenience and not necessity. But to marine animals that reside in our ocean, they can be a hazardous warzone, “which ends up polluting our oceans and killing millions of birds and fish and more than 100,000 sea turtles, according to the Sierra Club”(D.G.22). Plastic whether it is a syringe,

Plastic has become a staple, and the use of plastic products is abundant in everyday life even if it is not apparent. The production and use of plastics has increased dramatically over the last sixty years, and a vast majority of plastic being produced is not recovered after it is used. It is clear that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics, but the fact that it is not biodegradable and toxic creates a product that just takes up a vast amount of space and poisons animals. The overflow of plastic eventually makes its way into the ocean and is affecting marine life at an alarming rate. Plastic debris pollutes oceans all over the world as it breaks down into smaller pieces and are ingested by a large range of species. Animals exposed eat the plastic products and it causes health problems throughout the marine ecosystem. Some humans rely on these animals for food without knowing that they have been exposed to toxic products. The smallest organisms or exposure to chemicals can wreak havoc on the human body causing serious illness. It is clear that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics, but the fact that plastic is not biodegradable and toxic creates a product that takes up a vast amount of space and poisons animals. Plastics contain chemicals that can interfere with the bodies natural functions and can cause adverse health issues if left untreated. Plastic pollution is rampant all over the globe exposing everyone

Plastic is lightweight, strong, inexpensive to provide to consumers, and has a chemical makeup that does not allow it to decompose during our lifetime. This is a problem because plastic’s success in our society is causing us to overuse a product that is designed for temporary use with a material that lasts for centuries creating a buildup of plastic within our landfills. The high mobility of plastic bags makes them particularly problematic in society. Because of Cleveland’s proximity to Lake Erie, it is important to stop the flow of this material into this important natural resource. This paper investigates the negative externalities associated with the use of disposable plastic bags and the benefits of legislation that would ban plastic bags from being given out at retail facilities.

The website divides the information into three main sections; environment, economy, and health. 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean and then accumulate in five gyres. As of 2014, there are at least 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic. A third of that is in the Great Pacific Garbage patch. All that plastic causes a huge environmental problem. One-hundred thousand marine mammals and 1 million sea birds die each year because of the pollution. Not only does plastic pollution have a major impact on the environment but it also impacts the economy. Such a large impact in fact that it causes $3 billion of damage. US West Coast spends $500 million for clean up. If harming the environment and the economy isn't enough, human health is significantly damaged. PCBs, DDTs, and other toxic chemicals in the plastics are increases a million times. Once in the food chain, the concentrations increase. Cancer, malformation and impaired reproductive abilities are all health effects linked to plastic

We 're treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Plastic that pollutes our oceans and waterways has severe impacts on our environment and our economy. Seabirds, whales, sea turtles and other marine life are eating marine plastic pollution and dying from choking, intestinal blockage and starvation. Scientists are investigating the long-term impacts of toxic pollutants absorbed, transported, and consumed by fish and other marine life, including the potential effects on human health.

Technological advances have skyrocketed in this world in the recent decade. Smartphones can be used to browse the web, make calls, and take pictures. 3-D printing allows doctors, architects, and engineers to have a more efficient and accurate view of their work. Cars nowadays are faster, safer, and some even fuel efficient. All of these examples have aided people across the globe for the betterment of their overall lifestyle; however, it may be affecting other species’ lifestyle as well. Both of these advances are are made of or have content in it made of plastic. Yes, plastic has revolutionized this world completely, but is it beneficial to all? Plastic pollution is a huge threat to all marine life and its environment. Marine environment, health, and biodiversity are being negatively impacted due to human involvement of plastic pollution. In order to decrease this large pandemic, strict laws must be applied within the use of plastic all over the globe.

Plastic pollution makes up the majority of pollution problems all over the world, on land and off land. There are few solutions to fixing this pollution problem overall because of plastic properties. The pollution in the ocean poses a great problem to marine ecosystems, and to the health of the human population due to its durability. Over the years the consumption of plastic products has risen a marginal amount making the issue of pollution even larger (“When the Mermaids Cry: The Great Plastic Tide”). The pollution causes damage to the economy, environment, marine life, human health, along with the global impact. If the plastic pollution problem does not decrease, or completely disappear, then there will be great consequences in the oceans and on land.

Studies show that almost 8 million metric tons of plastic make its way into the ocean every year.1 All the trash can injure or entangle sea animals, causing them to drown. A majority of the trash is degraded plastic, which is broken down by the sun and the waves into tiny pieces of plastic. This makes it harder to clean up the oceans, because there is sea life the same size of the plastic, so it is much harder to just filter out the degraded plastic without harming the sea life and small organisms.2 But if we pick up the trash when we see it on the ground, it will never have the opportunity to make its way into the ocean or hurt animals.

All in all, plastic is something we won’t be able to stop using for a long time. It is important to inform everyone on what could happen if we use it too much. Also, let it be analyzed how much plastic different parts of the world are using. What region is using the most, and what can be done about it? Very few people worry about this issue, and that is why everyone should be reached and informed.

Approximately, 280 million tons of plastic is produced year round around the globe (Sigler, 2014) which accounts for 8% of the worldwide manufacturing for oil (Vegter, et al., 2014). Plastics are a major component in most consumer products; the reason being is that plastic is inexpensive, lightweight, durable, and an excellent insulator. For this reason, plastic can be found in most items from: storage containers, packaging material, communication devices, and transportation. Unfortunately, 3.5 million pieces of plastic are estimated to enter the ocean shores daily; one-third to a half of the garbage found in the ocean originate from the beverage industry (Cohen, 2015). This litter is a symptom of our throw-away society and our approach on how we manage our natural resources (UN, 2011). Nearly one-third of plastics that is generated are for single use items such as: floss, straws, stirrer, coffee lids, and disposable cutlery (Sigler, 2014).

ng produced at alarming rates recently and according to (Jenna Jambeck) over 275 million metric tons of plastic was created in 2010 and 12.7 million tons entered the ocean. Effects on people, environment, animals, where does it go?

Where does all the plastic go. Every bit of plastic that has been created is still here. This is because plastic is one-hundred percent non-biodegradable! Even the most degraded plastic down to polymers cannot be digested by bacteria (Laist, 1997). If global issues like starvation and climate change are not enough to stress on, the weight of an issue literally churning in the Pacific Ocean is startling. For decades the majority of the world’s population has not been properly educated on the nature of plastic and the potential harm it can do to our environment and our physical health. Due to factors of man and the natural effects of nature, a major problem has developed that is now harming our food.