Plastic, Plastic Everywhere!
We are in a plastic explosion. Our food comes encased in it or with plastic stickers affixed to it. Our cleaning and toiletry products are packaged in it. It’s in our clothing.
It’s in our waterways. It’s in our fish, it’s in our soil, produce and grains. It’s in our bodies, blood and breast milk.
It’s the litter on the side of the road and entangled in tree branches. It is the great Pacific garbage patch and is overwhelming developing countries. It’s been found at the North Pole, Antarctica, on Mount Everest and on the bottom of the deepest canyon in the ocean.
When one journalist from the New York Times tried living 24 hours without it, he failed.
Contrary to what plastic companies have been telling us for decades, recycling plastic is not a workable solution. Recycling is expensive, making new plastic is cheap, and plastic degrades, so it can only be recycled once or twice. Even when we recycle, the recycling plant often sends our plastic to a landfill or an incinerator. And if incinerated, plastic releases toxic chemicals that cause cancer.
So what are we to do?
Focus on reducing and reusing instead of on recycling. Look at our Tips & Tricks to learn lots of little ways you can change your habits. Make a New Year’s Resolution to try one new climate-friendly habit a month. Try counting how many plastic bags, plastic cups, and other single-use items you use and aim to get that number lower and lower! Commit to eating in rather than ordering for delivery whenever possible. Try cleaning products from companies committed to be plastic-free by 2025 or refilling your containers locally at The Refilleri or Eco and the Flamingo.
If you want more ideas, Green That Life has compiled a list of green New Year’s Resolutions!
To make a difference, we need to act together. That means contacting your legislators to urge them to prioritize the environment. It means asking candidates running for office how they plan to address the plastics crisis. The Environmental Action Committee is participating in both of these actions. Join us to help!
Other states and countries who have taken serious action to cut plastic out of the market (California, Maine, and Oregon) have all passed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) bills, and, following in the footsteps of Scotland and Wales, England is about to ban single-use plastic cutlery, plastic plates, and some types of single-use plastic cups. We can do it too!
What environmental action are you going to take this year? Leave a comment below, or contact the Environmental Action Committee at environment@lwvchicago.org.