avatarKL Simmons

Summary

The article emphasizes the need for individuals to reduce plastic use due to the low rate of plastic recycling and the environmental impact of plastic waste.

Abstract

The author reflects on the ease of buying bulk food with minimal packaging in their old Philadelphia neighborhood, contrasting it with the current difficulty in Germany to find comparable options. Despite some progress in Europe and global efforts to address plastic waste, the article highlights that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills, incinerated, or leaked into the environment. This realization prompts the author to commit to using less plastic, encouraging readers to do the same. The article calls for a global agreement to manage plastic waste effectively and suggests individual actions such as using glass water bottles, buying from farmer's markets, and supporting companies that reduce plastic usage. It also notes the importance of not overreacting to the pandemic by needlessly using more plastic and points to a global summit as a potentially significant step towards managing plastic waste.

Opinions

  • The author expresses a personal connection to the issue of plastic waste, reminiscing about the convenience of bulk shopping with less plastic in Philadelphia.
  • There is a sense of dismay at the discovery that only a small fraction of plastic is recycled, despite previous assumptions about the effectiveness of recycling.
  • The author acknowledges the importance of individual actions in reducing plastic consumption and advocates for supporting businesses that make conscious efforts to minimize plastic use.
  • There is an opinion that the pandemic has unnecessarily increased plastic use, particularly in the purchase of produce, which the author intends to change.
  • The author holds a positive view of international efforts, such as the global summit, to create a comprehensive agreement on plastic waste management.
  • The author's commitment to personal changes, like using a glass water bottle and shopping at farmer's markets, reflects a belief in the power of consumer choices to drive environmental change.

HEALTH|EDUCATION|CULTURE

Try To Reduce Your Plastic Use Because Recycling Isn’t Cutting It

Today was my wake up call and it could be yours as well

Photo by Antoine GIRET on Unsplash

One of the things that I miss about living in my old neighborhood in Philadelphia is the easy access I had to 3 fantastic food cooperatives that allowed me to buy food in bulk and discouraged the use of plastic or unnecessary packaging.

Weaver’s Way Co-op

I love that place.

I have yet to find a place comparable in or around my neighborhood in Germany.

Europe, as a whole, has been better than most states in the United States when it comes to using plastic bags, especially in supermarkets and restaurants.

However, as a global society, we ALL need to do much better at reducing our plastic consumption, which I’ve thought about countless times as I’ve watched my bag full of plastics to be recycled week after week.

Photo by OCG Saving The Ocean on Unsplash

I thought I was doing something more significant, even though I knew that recycling plastics was a still small act.

Today I learned just how little of the plastic we put into our recycling containers actually get recycled.

Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled.

It is difficult to recycle, slow to decay, expensive and polluting to burn, and breaks down into tiny particles that enter the food chain and cause harm to animals. These microplastics are ubiquitous, from the deep seafloor to the Arctic ice pack.

Earlier this month, the US, which generates more plastic waste per person than any other country in the world, joined with France in calling for a global agreement that recognises “the importance of curbing [plastic waste] at its source.”

My heart sank.

I read further and felt more hopeful.

More than 300 scientists and research organisations are calling on all UN member states to accept nothing less than the key elements of the stronger Rwanda-Peru resolution. And 90 business leaders, including fast-moving consumer goods companies, key producers of plastic waste, have also called for an agreement.

Andersen’s wishlist for the agreement is that it covers the whole lifecycle of plastic, not just marine litter, includes monitoring and targets, and has a financial element, to help developing countries less able to recycle.

Here’s one of the sources that the article references that has an eye-opening graph to accompany it:

The world is producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfill, incinerated or leaking into the environment, and only 9% successfully recycled, according to a new OECD report.

Photo by Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash

I am guilty of using more plastic than necessary and I have committed to using less.

Photo by Bluewater Sweden on Unsplash

One of the things I used to have, and will buy again, is a glass water bottle to carry with me on walks or to go anywhere.

It’s heavier than plastic or metal, of course, but I’ve yet to find a metal water container that doesn’t ruin the taste of water for me and I’m over using plastic water bottles (even though I was cleaning and refilling them for a while).

Since the pandemic started, I have been more hesitant to buy produce that isn’t covered in plastic. It’s irrational and I will no longer continue this practice.

In fact, one of the things I’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t yet, is to take my butt over to the local farmer’s market on Tuesdays and/or Saturdays to buy organic produce directly from the farmers.

I’ve never seen them cover their produce in plastic.

Photo by Shelley Pauls on Unsplash

I have noticed that some companies are making more of a conscious effort to reduce their use of plastic and I want to support them even more now by intentionally buying their products more often.

The hardest will be buying cheese, but since reducing my plastic consumption has become more important, I will seek out brands and varieties that use other more environmentally friendly wrappings or containers.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

There are things that we can do and it is up to each one of us to do whatever we can to improve this awful situation regarding plastic waste.

To learn more, watch the following short video (it’s 2 minutes).

Please commit to using less plastic.

Photo by kalei peek on Unsplash

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