×

Plastic is forever

To the Journal editor:

The world is producing twice as much plastic as two decades ago. Most of this is single-use plastic. You open a product and “throw away” the plastic, but one might ask, where does it go?

Research shows that single-use plastic is ultimately landfilled, incinerated, or leaked into the environment. Wherever you go, there is plastic, and no one is taking responsibility for it — not the producer, not the consumers, not the waste handlers.

Plastics are manufactured from fossil fuels — oil and natural gas. There is a link between global warming and plastics: fossil fuel companies. Exxon-Mobil, Shell, BP, etc. all have plastic processing plants and plan to build many plants to ensure a market for oil and gas.

The fossil fuel/plastics issues misinformation about the effectiveness of recycling plastic. Very little plastic is recycled because the process is not efficient or cost effective.

Plastics are not biodegradable by bacteria and fungi. Exposure to sunlight, wind and mechanical forces causes plastic chains to break into smaller units that become air and waterborne.

There are numerous studies around the world showing bits and pieces of plastic in human tissue, including lungs, blood, placentas and breast milk.

The only answer to plastic pollution is to reduce the amount of plastics entering the environment. We can all try to buy less single use plastic. It’s important to tell grocers you do not want to buy food wrapped in plastic.

Tell your elected representatives to find solutions to the plastic problem.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today