Introduction
Plastics: something that we find to be so convenient in our everyday lives and something that we most often do not think about twice, much less the ramifications of their use. These often end up in our oceans, creating pollution and harming both water quality and the wildlife that inhabit it. The issue must be taken seriously, and soon, before it ends up being too late. To best understand the things we can do to ultimately stop plastic pollution in our seas, we need to learn where plastics are coming from, how large the issue is at present, and steps that can be taken to reverse the flows of plastic as soon as possible. This blog is broken down into those three separate categories. As we advocate for environmental changes, such as removing plastic products from our lives, and providing education on the true severity of this issue, we will also learn why plastics have become so universal and ubiquitous in our present society.
Finding plastic-free alternatives to everyday products containing them is both more challenging and costly than using their cheaper plastic versions. This, along with innovations being made for plastics, simply add more convenience to their use. While the alternatives are indeed more expensive the majority of the time, the bigger price tag is ultimately the loss of eco-services provided by our oceans, as well as creating environmental problems that only continue to snowball into larger issues. So, that extra few dollars for the metal straw has a much larger benefit than you think; these benefits lie in keeping our oceans vibrant and clean. Adding plastic-free alternatives to our everyday way of life and using them regularly can significantly reduce our carbon footprint, and these alternatives are capable of saving our environment and the life that inhabits it, including us.
Plastic, its Origins, and Evolution
Many early versions of a plastic-like substance have existed for centuries, where people would burn things such as animal horns, amber, and tortoise shells, among other things, to mold into cutlery and medallions. By the mid-19th century, however, the populations of animals used for these substances became scarce, so they ironically needed to find an environmentally friendly solution to this issue. In 1862, this issue was tackled by the Birmingham-born chemist Alexander Parkes, who established the first manufactured plastic made from cellulose nitrate, making products cheaper and more colorful. However, over time, this invention became used for film to record movies rather than its intended purpose1.
The first fully synthetic plastic was developed in 1907 by Leo Baekeland, who named the material Bakelite and is most known for pioneering the conception and use of plastic. He took out over 400 patents for the use and manufacturing of his product, which became revolutionary as a way to simplify molding operations. Bakelite eventually developed the slogan ‘‘The Material of a Thousand Uses’’ in order to showcase its versatility in everyday products, such as jewelry, telephones, iron handles, and many others. This invention became known as the seed for modern day plastics, as well as starting an industry that now employs over 60 million people1,2. Synthetic plastics would soon become more prominent in our world, coming into every variety of product on the market.
The use of plastics as a product began to show when its use in the 1940s during World War II was able to create plastic objects used for war and encase wires into military machinery. By the late 1940s, plastic production became the main focus for the majority of the factories in the United States, with statistics citing that plastic production had nearly quadrupled from 213 million pounds annually in 1939 to 818 million pounds in 1945. Even the oil industry filled their factories with tools they could use to produce plastic as well as produce oil. Tupperware, the iconic plastic food storage brand, also began in the mid-1940s and took off in the 1950s. Tupperware became a household name and was the main object involved in ‘‘Tupperware parties’’, a method of selling the containers used by Tupperware consultants who invited friends and neighbors to their house to display the products. The main target audience was women, who often used these products from their homes. By the 1960s, reports began to reach the media showing that plastic pollution had hit the oceans and marine life, describing cases of both plastic ingestion and animals becoming entangled in these materials3,4,24.
Graph showing the rate plastic has been produced over time since 1950. Image taken from The Plastic Soup Foundation (Source 25).
This new issue of plastics reaching wildlife became even more prominent in the 1970s. In 1975, a report was released by the National Academy of Sciences stating that at least 14 billion pounds of plastic was dumped into the ocean annually, roughly measuring to 1.5 million pounds an hour. The source of much of this waste during this decade was coming from boaters and ocean vessels that directly dump their waste into the sea. By 1997, however, a much greater issue came to the attention of the public when a yachtsman named Charles Moore was returning home through the northern Pacific Ocean when he discovered that the area he was traveling in was filled with plastics. Once home, he found that this mass had increased in both extent and density. This became known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a portion of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California that is contaminated with plastic waste Size measurements of the patch vary, but it is commonly estimated to be in these measurements: at least double the size of the entire state of Texas, the state of Alaska, the entire country of Afghanistan, or three times as large as France. However, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not the only patch of the ocean known for being covered in plastic. There are several other patches in the ocean that are just like the GPGP (Great Pacific Garbage Patch) (see figure below). Also pictured below is a graph showing the different types of plastic found in the GPGP, measured in tons3,5,17.27.
Graphic showing the locations of several gyres (garbage patches) in the ocean around the world. Graphic also highlights the countries who mismanage the waste of plastic the most. Data taken from BBC News (Source 27).
Data showing the rate of plastic appearing in our oceans over time. Graph taken from Our World in Data (Source 26).
Data showing different types of plastic and their amount in tons found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). Data is recorded for numbers from September 2022. H: Hard plastics, N: Fishing gear (plastic lines, fishing nets, ropes) P: Pre-production plastics (Spheres, discs, etc), F: Fragments of formed materials. The dot in the middle represents the average of the data. Data taken from The Ocean Cleanup (Source 17).
As of today, plastic pollution had already begun to spiral into a much larger problem, and people were becoming aware of the severity of the problem. However, the plastic industry was aware of these issues, but was adamant that they would continue their production while dismissing the concerns of the public. Steven Feit, CIEL Attorney and lead author of Fueling Plastics, writes about the way these industries responded to concern by saying, ‘’Unfortunately, the answer to both when the plastic industry knew their products would contribute to massive public harms and what they did with that information suggests they followed Big Oil’s playbook on climate change: deny, confuse, and fight regulation and effective solutions.’’ Knowing this, it is clear that the main source of the issue, the producers, were aware that they were creating harm, but continued to produce these plastics for the sake of continued gains to their companies. These problems had only continued to grow into the 21st century with the rise in population, increasing plastic product innovations and production, and a continued need for convenience6.
The Modern-Day Plastic Problem
By the 2000s, the amount of plastic waste generated by society rose more in a single decade than it had in the last 40 years. The consequences of plastic waste reaching the oceans were absolutely being felt by the life in the ocean by this point as well. Many pictures and documents had spread showing sea life becoming wrapped and entangled in plastic, like a turtle with a six-pack plastic carrier stuck around its head, or seals with fishing nets stuck around its body, or even a dolphin with netting trapped on its rostrum/beak. Turtles are common victims to plastic, as they approach it to try and play with it or eat it. Whales are heavily harmed as well, as the sharp threads of nets cut into their skin, which could result in them losing fins or their tail. In most cases, these animals are not able to get these plastics off of their bodies, and if it does not kill them then they are stuck swimming with them around their bodies with no way of getting them off7,8.
Graph showing the amount of plastic waste generated since 1950, as well as predictions for the increasing number up to 2050. Graph taken from Science Advances (Source 28).
A dead bird floats on the surface of the ocean, surrounded by particles of plastic and a plastic bag floating through the water. Photo taken from World Wildlife Fund (Source 18).
Getting stuck in these plastics has fatal consequences on the lives of sea creatures, as it reduces their mobility. By losing their ability to move, they are vulnerable to starve, drown, suffocate, or be eaten in the case of vulnerable prey. They also often consume these plastics with the idea that it is food for them, but this only leads them to health issues and, in many cases, death. Plastic bags are commonly swallowed by these creatures, though the plastic cannot digest in their stomachs, preventing general food digestion and ultimately causing the animals a slow and painful death. Once this animal that ingested the plastic dies, the plastic still will not break down, as plastic takes roughly 1,000 years to break down into the ground. That means that these plastic bags will end up back into the ocean and repeat this cycle8,9.
A white stork is pictured suffocating with a plastic bag around its head and covering its body. Photo taken from World Wildlife Fund (Source 18).
Pollution does not only affect marine life, but humans as well. By having this waste infiltrating the oceans and creating pollution, it ultimately comes back to us by contaminating the seafood we eat. Included in ocean waste is not just plastic, but also mercury, chemical runoff, petroleum waste, agricultural runoff, biological threats (such as algae), and manufactured chemicals. Studies show that consumption of seafood that is contaminated with these pollutants is extremely dangerous to people. Eating fish with traces of mercury can increase a risk for both a heart attack and dementia. The list of potential health problems becomes extremely long when researchers look at the results of consuming manufactured chemicals in general; the list includes cardiovascular disease, developmental and neurobehavioral disorders, metabolic disease, immune dysfunction, endocrine disruption, and several types of cancers. The consequences become even scarier for pregnant women consuming these products, as mercury consumption can cause their unborn child brain damage that can result in a lower IQ and behavioral issues. While the topic of general ocean pollution deviates from my focus on plastic pollution, I believe that covering this short summary of the broader issue of ocean pollution and its consequences is useful in understanding how a lack of human action and care has created such a large problem for our oceans. Pictured below is a figure that puts the points of this paragraph into a visual graphic to show that plastic pollution is only the tip of the iceberg10.
A diagram in the format of an iceberg showing the different kinds of toxic chemicals that come into the ocean through plastic pollution, as well as a description of how each type is harmful. Graphic created by Boston College and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, image taken from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Source 19).
The statistics of the amount of plastic in our oceans is daunting to read. Back in 1950, there were only two million tons of plastic being produced yearly around the world. It is globally estimated that there was 268 million tons of waste in the ocean by 2010, but in 2019 this number was increased to reach 460 million tons yearly. Of the 5,800 million tons of plastic that is no longer in use between 1950 and now, only nine percent was recycled; the rest was either incinerated, discarded, or ended up in landfills. Five trillion plastic particles (microplastics, macroplastics, and plastics of various other sizes) are in these waters (1.8 trillion tons are found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch alone) today. Estimates show that if plastic were to keep going into the ocean at the rate it is today until 2050, there would be 6 million (combining the number of microplastics and macroplastics into one number) more tons of plastic in the ocean yearly on top of the current amount of plastic currently in the ocean. This trend would occur if the rate at which plastic is produced continues to increase over time12.
Another issue of plastic pollution comes in the form of microplastics. Since plastic does not break down over time, it ends up just slowly forming into smaller and smaller pieces, which are known as microplastics. Because of how small these plastics get, they work their way into the food chain, starting by being eaten by the smallest creatures. This then works its way up as bigger creatures eat prey that have these microplastics in them, eventually coming up to us humans. This concept is also shown visually in the figure below, in which it shows that marine life are susceptible to a concept called bioaccumulation. This is defined as an increase of the concentration of chemicals in an organism over time, which we see with the different plastics that these creatures ingest. In 2015, oceanographers were able to estimate that there were between 15 to 51 trillion pieces of microplastic floating in the ocean. However, considering this data is from 2015, it is a potentially outdated estimate in comparison to the 5 trillion pieces I mentioned in the previous paragraph. The data stating that there are 5 trillion pieces of microplastic in the ocean is updated up to April 2022, so the difference in numbers is most likely because of the stretch of time between the two sets of data being recorded. The data from April of this year was also likely corrected due to advances in technology finding more accurate numbers since 2015. Regardless of changing numbers through the years, the fact that this number is in the trillions is incredibly scary and shows how badly we need to make changes to stop this. What is even more concerning is the fact that these are so small that us humans can breathe them in or consume them regularly, with some estimates showing we ingest up to 100,000 particles of microplastics a day. While scientists are still unclear if human ingestion of these microplastics is harmful, it is uncomfortable to think about unknowingly having so much plastic inside of us. Laboratory studies have, however, found that animals and species that have ingested these plastics may be able to reproduce less effectively or have physical damage. This allows us to hypothesize that these problems will eventually find their way into humans, which may cause a population crisis in the future13.
Figure showing how plastics/microplastics work their way into the food chain and eventually come back up to humans. ‘‘The Patch’’ refers to The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, although wildlife feeding on surface plastics applies to all parts of the ocean. Figure taken from The Ocean Cleanup (Source 17).
While there are many reasons to be concerned about this issue for the environmental problems that they bring with them, critics have pointed out their issues with the idea of being plastic-free. Tara Conway finds flaws with the plastic-free movement, writing in her article on The Outline, ‘’While some zero-wasters proudly announce that they have avoided food packaging at the airport, one flight can negate a year’s worth of otherwise environmentally conscious behavior.’’ Conway’s argument in both this quotation and her article takes both a critical and somewhat pessimistic view on the small efforts people make to be plastic and waste free despite also partaking in actions that add to environmental problems in other ways. Earlier in her article, she introduces this argument by saying, ‘’ I’m upset when a bratty roommate preaches the zero-waste gospel to me when I know they drive half a mile to work every day.’’ Her argument pokes holes into the argument of advocates for plastic-free packaging, showing how many people are hypocrites and will continue to use plastic packaging anyway because of its convenience. While I do partially agree with her viewpoint, I think she is being too pessimistic in her criticism. While it is true that one small sustainable change does not cancel out how much environmental harm is caused in things such as driving a car or flying in a plane, it is important to recognize that people are making the effort to be more environmentally friendly in behaviors where they are able to. When more and more people take these small steps, it does eventually cancel out these negative actions when done in mass, so it is better to encourage these steps forward rather than condemn them for it14.
A common problem people see with efforts to be plastic-free is that it is less convenient than using plastic. I have personally witnessed this with my grandmother. After hearing my persuasion for her to do so, she keeps reusable shopping bags in the trunk of her car in order to not use plastic bags. However, I will see her come home from the grocery store with plastic bags full of groceries anyway. When I asked her why she did not use her own bags, she told me that she forgot them in her car and did not realize until she got into the store. This, to me, highlights how it can be inconvenient to use plastic-free alternatives when they are not readily available when needed. Plastic bags are deliberately convenient, since they are at each bagging area for someone to use when they need them the most. This makes people forget about bringing their own bags despite their environmental benefits, as it is a choice that takes remembering and effort to turn into a regular habit. I would be lying if I said that I have never forgotten my own bags in my car as well, but I think it is most important to try to at least make the effort to use both them and other plastic-free alternatives wherever possible. If everyone had this same mentality, then this would negate the need for plastic bags and would result in less people using them.
Other critics often argue that finding plastic-free alternatives is either too hard, too expensive, or both in most cases. Once again, I find myself simultaneously agreeing and disagreeing with this argument. It is no secret that plastic-free alternatives or a product’s more ‘’eco-friendly’’ version are often more expensive, like we see with silverware, dishes, bags, and just about anything else on the market. However, the extra price we pay at the register has long-term benefits for both us and the environment. By using these eco-friendly alternatives, we are putting less plastic into the environment and are reducing our carbon footprint. These changes are part of our solution to restoring our environment and our oceans. While it can also be tricky to find places that sell plastic-free alternatives to other household items, it would certainly not be a bad idea to make your own and get creative if possible.
The Steps We Can Take Now
While the issue with plastics is already so massive, not all hope is lost. We can still take steps to reverse the damage we caused, though it is mostly a very large group effort in order to make these changes. These are efforts that not only we as people need to make, but also government officials must help us with to keep the problem from expanding. There is only so much we can do without the help of the government passing laws to promote environmentally-friendly ideas to the public. However, with both our own efforts to be more conscious of our environment and the help of the government passing laws, it is absolutely possible for us to be able to see positive changes.
Graphic showing the facts and statistics of recycling, displaying the benefits of recycling and the harm being caused by plastic pollution. Graphic taken from reusethisblog.com (Source 20).
One very major thing we can do is to stop using single-use plastics whenever possible. While there is both convenience and necessity in the usage of plastics, they statistically make up the majority of the plastics we find in pollution. However, here is a list of some of the things we can do now that serve as alternatives to plastic use:
- Have a water bottle that can be refilled and reused (which also saves money)
- Bring your own bag to shop (more items can fit into these than a plastic bag!)
- Have a reusable straw or not using a plastic straw at restaurants
- Use reusable storage containers for preserving food
- Buy a reusable set of silverware for when it is needed
…and the list goes on. More ways to reduce our plastic use can be found at https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/how-to-reduce-plastic-use.
In making these changes, it reduces the demand for single-use plastics and does the environment so much good by keeping them out of landfills and nature. Some governments around the world are implementing bans on single-use plastic, and have been found to be successful. When assessing this type of ban in the EU, in which several single-use plastic products were banned, researchers found that marine plastic pollution was reduced by 5.5% in this area of the world. While it seems like a small number, consider this is only the amount for one country implementing this ban; the number could become so much larger if other parts of the world also participate in these bans15.
Graphic showing the harmful effects of using plastic straws rather than plastic-free alternatives. Graphic created by the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, taken from DOGOnews (Source 21).
Graphic showing the benefits of using a reusable bag rather than a plastic one. Graphic created by and taken from 8BillionTrees.com (Source 22).
While the entirety of the United States has not set a ban on plastics or plastic bags, Washington State and New Jersey have banned plastic bags. Their reasoning for placing this ban was due to the problem plastic bags faced with both recycling issues and harm to the environment in the form of pollution and toxic chemicals found in the bags once they are released into the environment. It also saves retailers money, as it costs them more money to have these plastic bags always available. Going into effect last year (WA) and this spring 2022 (NJ), the ban makes plastic bags no longer available to be used in shopping throughout these states, and an eight cent fee for consumers to use paper or reusable plastic bags is levied if they do not have their own reusable bag. These bans not only benefit the environment of these coastal states, but also the state’s recycling system, as the ban prevents contamination in the recycling system while encouraging people to recycle. Plastic bags are a source of contamination in recycling systems throughout the US, as they can get wrapped around equipment in the recycling facility that can cause shutdowns, delays, and safety concerns for workers. They also cannot be recycled most of the time, and putting them with recyclable plastic means that the entire section of plastic with those bags can no longer be recycled. These two states are not the only states setting these bans, as other states such as New York, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, and Vermont have either set bans on plastics or are currently looking into doing so16,23.
Another way to help fight the issue, as odd as it sounds, is to shop for clothes sustainably. Thrifting is not only a fun and cheap way to find new clothes, but also helps reduce plastic waste by finding clothes that do not come in any plastic packaging. Giant online clothing companies such as SHEIN often pack their clothes in plastic bags individually, causing a great amount of unnecessary plastic production. Moving away from online shopping giants and trying to buy clothes from sustainable sources would not only reduce a person’s carbon footprint, but also keep excess plastic out of the ocean as well.
The best solution for our plastic problem is to stop plastics at the source. While ocean and beach cleanups are extremely important for reducing the amount of plastic they contain, they alone cannot make any long-term impact. If we cleaned up oceans and beaches without trying to stop the distribution and use of the plastics that end up polluting these areas, then it would put us into an endless loop of cleaning them up without any long-lasting change being made. By protesting the use of plastics, this could cause a ripple effect in which the production of plastic could be slowed down. A better outcome would be to stop production of plastics entirely for the major consumer single-type uses. This would have a massively positive impact on our environment and could eventually reverse the effects of climate change that we have seen culminating more and more over the past few decades. Plastics release carbon emissions into the atmosphere as they decompose and are made using fossil fuels, so removing our usage of plastics will allow for less substances to go into our environment that are harmful. This impact could also help or even save human life as well, as not having plastic in our world can keep us from being exposed to the toxic chemicals that are found either on the plastic itself or found on the surface of microplastics that we ingest without realizing it. This would also make the human consumption of animals healthier, as these animals would also not have their meat contaminated by the toxic chemicals found in plastics/microplastics that end up in their food or that they eat when mistaking it for food. The steps are small, but each can lead to a significant change in our world that is nothing but positive if enough people come together and do their part29.
Others have taken it upon themselves to utilize existing technology to participate in ocean-wide cleanups. One such example of this is based in the Netherlands, where The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization, uses shipping boats with a net attached in-between to pick up large amounts of plastic in the oceans at once. The boats travel 500 meters apart from one another and are also able to travel to areas of the ocean where there is a large density of pollution, and they are able to catch the pollution in their net with high efficiency. The team behind this system believes that if they were to have 10 of these boat/net collection systems in the ocean, then they will be able to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This technology, while it is one of many examples of ocean cleanup efforts, is a great step forward for getting plastic out of our oceans, as it is able to give us a sense of hope and show that we can still reverse the damage that we have caused30.
Conclusion
Overall, this blog aims to shine a light on the issue of plastics by breaking the problem down into separate topics. It is important that we learn how plastics became such a ubiquitous object in our society and how they started. We now know the problems plastics have created for our world throughout the years, and the tangible steps that each of us can take to reverse it. The solutions seem limited, but plastic pollution is a somewhat simple problem to solve by having everyone come together and determine they want to live in a world where we are no longer using plastic; thus, we can stop it at the source. Plastic is extremely harmful to everyone and everything on this planet: our land, our seas, our animals, and even us. If we do not educate ourselves and others on the issue soon, we may be seeing permanent damage that we cannot reverse because of the lack of action being taken to fix the amount of harm we have caused. It is crucial that we stop the pollution of our world by plastics at the source and learn to live our lives without everyday plastics in order to dramatically reduce the large amount that is produced daily.
This is an issue that we can solve if we all come together to put an end to it. Doing your part wherever possible by refusing to use plastic products is an important beginning step. Educating others on the issue is just as important; if people do not know what is at stake for us, then they will not know how to make a difference and end up contributing further to the problem. The most important of these, however, is pushing the government to put bans on unnecessary plastic use. As we have seen in Washington State and New Jersey’s bans and other statewide bans, these actions created positive results and have encouraged others to participate. The government has the proper authority to make companies stop producing these harmful products and make a big difference in saving our planet. Use your voice in any way you can; it is the key to saving all of us.
Works Cited
(1) Science Museum. (2019, October 11). The age of plastic: From Parkesine to pollution. Science Museum. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/chemistry/age-plastic-parkesine-pollution#:~:text=Belgian%20chemist%20and%20clever%20marketeer,phenol%2C%20under%20heat%20and%20pressure.
(2) American Chemical Society. (n.d.). Bakelite first synthetic plastic – National Historic Chemical Landmark. American Chemical Society. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/bakelite.html
(3) Culvert, L. L. (2019). Ocean Waste. In J. L. Longe (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 693-700). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2491100206/GRNR?u=bucknell_it&sid=bookmark-GRNR&xid=bfd3d8b3
(4) Blakemore, E. (2019, March 1). Tupperware parties: Suburban Women’s plastic path to empowerment. History.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/tupperware-parties-brownie-wise
(5) Bauer, P. (n.d.). Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Pacific-Garbage-Patch
(6) Kistler, A. (2017, December 5). Plastics industry knew its products were polluting oceans by 1970s, then spent decades denying responsibility and fighting regulation. Center for International Environmental Law. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.ciel.org/news/plastics-industry-knew/
(7) UNEP. (n.d.). Visual feature: Beat plastic pollution. UNEP. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/
(8) Animals stuck in Plastic & Endangerement. Plastic Soup Foundation. (2020, May 1). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-affect-animals/animal-stuck-plastic/
(9) How Plastic Bags Affect Wildlife. Animal Friends Croatia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id=934
(10) Avakian, M. (n.d.). New study finds ocean pollution a threat to human health. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/geh_newsletter/2021/2/articles/new_study_finds_ocean_pollution_a_threat_to_human_health.cfm#:~:text=About%2010%20million%20metric%20tons,including%20pesticides%20and%20toxic%20metals.
(11) Suneson, G. (2019, June 7). The Ocean Pollution Crisis. 247 Wall St. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://247wallst.com/special-report/2019/06/06/the-ocean-pollution-crisis/.
(12) Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2018, September 1). Plastic pollution. Our World in Data. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution
(13) Lim, X. Z. (2021, May 4). Microplastics are everywhere – but are they harmful? Nature News. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01143-3
(14) Conway, T. (2019, May 28). I’m upset: The “zero waste” people must be stopped. The Outline. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://theoutline.com/post/7500/i-m-upset-the-zero-waste-people-must-be-stopped
(15) Herberz, T., Barlow, C. Y., & Finkbeiner, M. (2020). Sustainability Assessment of a Single-Use Plastics Ban. Sustainability, 12(9), 3746. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093746
(16) State of Washington. (n.d.). Washington’s single-use plastic bag ban. Plastic bag ban – Washington State Department of Ecology. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://ecology.wa.gov/Waste-Toxics/Reducing-recycling-waste/Waste-reduction-programs/Plastics/Plastic-bag-ban
(17) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch • The Ocean Cleanup. The Ocean Cleanup. (2022, September 6). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
(18) In photos: Drowning in plastics. World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/in-photos-drowning-in-plastics
(19) Avakian, M. (n.d.). New study finds ocean pollution a threat to human health. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/geh_newsletter/2021/2/articles/new_study_finds_ocean_pollution_a_threat_to_human_health.cfm
(20) Lober, D. (2021, July 12). Kids Super Guide to Recycling. Awesome Wholesale Reusable Grocery Bags Bulk Options. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.reusethisbag.com/articles/kids-guide-to-recycling
(21) Kim, A. (2018, May 20). Saving the Earth, one straw at a Time. DOGOnews. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.dogonews.com/2018/5/20/saving-the-earth-one-straw-at-a-time
(22) Kilgore, G. (2022, November 9). The canvas grocery bag that saves animals (reviewing top 8 reusable shopping bags). 8 Billion Trees: Carbon Offset Projects & Ecological Footprint Calculators. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://8billiontrees.com/eco-friendly-natural-products/reusable-shopping-bags-review/
(23) Laner, M. (2019, May 3). Preventing plastic bag contamination in the recycling stream. RecyclingWorks Massachusetts. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://recyclingworksma.com/preventing-plastic-bag-contamination-in-the-recycling-stream/
(24) Freinkel, S. (2011, May 29). A brief history of plastic’s conquest of the world. Scientific American. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-brief-history-of-plastic-world-conquest/
(25) Plastic plastic facts & figures. Plastic Soup Foundation. (2022, February 10). Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-facts-and-figures/
(26) Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2018, September 1). Plastic pollution. Our World in Data. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution
(27) Briggs, H. (2018, March 22). Plastic patch in Pacific Ocean growing rapidly, study shows. BBC News. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43490235
(28) Geyer, R., Jambeck, J., & Lavender Law, K. (2017, July 19). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made – science. Science Advances. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1700782
(29) Crawford, I. (2022, August 16). Would stopping plastic pollution help with climate change? how do we do it? MIT Climate Portal. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/would-stopping-plastic-pollution-help-climate-change-how-do-we-do-it#:~:text=Plastic%20also%20contributes%20to%20climate,ocean%27s%20ability%20to%20absorb%20carbon.
(30) Peters, A. (n.d.). What’s the best way to get plastic out of the ocean? Fast Company. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90687952/whats-the-best-way-to-get-plastic-out-of-the-ocean