Showing The Earth Some Love

So... what's the big deal about plastics?

There has been a big move these past years to reduce the amount of plastic that is being produced and used, especially single-use plastic. But why exactly is plastic so bad?

Well, here are a few reasons:

~They take a really long time to decompose- plastics on average take between 450-1000 years to decompose. So that plastic bag you put your shopping in this morning will likely still be around in the year 2469. 

~They're difficult to destroy- polymers (plastics) are unreactive to chemicals and bacteria and create lots of landfill.

~It's really expensive to recycle them- so companies often send them to landfill where they become "somebody else's problem". Sometimes plastic landfill from our country gets exported to other countries as well.

~They're made from unsustainable products- polymers are often made from crude oil, coal and natural gases which are all finite resources. 

~They can be invisible- microplastics can easily escape into the environment and be consumed by animals, or contaminate water supplies. 

~They're eaten by animals- plastic bags in the ocean can easily be mistaken for fish or jellyfish and eaten by marine life. The plastic can't be broken down by the stomach, so the plastic stays in their body forever. The plastic then increases in concentration as it moves up the food chain, causing illnesses and birth defects.

~They're eaten by us- Plymouth University found that one-third of fish caught in UK harbours contained plastic, so any time you're eating seafood you're probably consuming plastic. What's more, microplastics are "toxin sponges", meaning they attract endocrine-disrupting toxins, which can disrupt your hormones and lead to reduced fertility, early puberty, neurological problems and even cancer, though these are less common.

~It's ugly- go take a walk along a beach and see how much plastic you come across. Go for a stroll through town and see how much litter you walk through. It's never pretty.

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In the Netherlands, they are recycling plastic into roads to reduce landfill and the amount of carbon dioxide being produced from laying new asphalt roads. 

Anyone have any ideas on other innovative ways could we recycle/reuse plastic? Comment any ideas you have!

EcoCorgi