Preview

Plastic over-Usage

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1515 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Plastic over-Usage
Look around at the local surroundings. How many objects are made of or just contain a bit of plastic? There is a high amount of plastic being used for all kinds of objects for daily use. Plastic is used all the time and most people never really think twice about it. Plastic is becoming too common in the world today and is harming our environment (Manrich. 2009). People do not realize the effects plastic over-usage has on the world but if each person were to really take time to think about this over-usage maybe this use could be greatly reduced with just a few simple measures. Human dependence on plastic and paper products is high and some measures are needed to take a step back and evaluate which plastic products are necessities and which are not in order to help save the environment. Ways to reduce the amount of plastic in society is needed to reduce the amount of harm to the environment because the plastics that are being used are taking over landfills, getting into the water supply, and causing a lot of harm to the ecosystem (Ginis. 2008). Turning away from plastic completely may not be possible, but usage can be reduced and the amount used in daily lives can be altered. On a global scale human dependence on plastic is entirely too high which means that on average the amount of plastic each person uses and wastes is too high as well. Over one hundred million tons of plastic is produced annually and out of all that plastic over fourteen million tons end up in the oceans harming and killing marine life (Raja 2011). It is hard to imagine one hundred million tons of plastic, but cars, cell phones, and computers that are purchased are made of a large amount of plastic. It’s not likely that those large plastic objects will end up floating in the ocean; however, there are also numerous small objects that are overlooked, such as water bottles and food wrappings made of nothing but plastic. A large percent of those smaller items made of plastics end up in the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Unfortunately, plastic does not break down into organic substances, which means that instead of breaking down into natural components that will go back into the earth, plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic until they become nurdles, which are small pellets of plastic. This opposes an issue because as plastic gets smaller, not only does it turn into a large pile of nurdles that can be ingested by seabirds and fish, it also releases the chemicals that are contained within it. According to The National Geographic, Bisphenol A, a major component in plastic, is one of the chemicals that gets released when it breaks down. Bisphenol A is a chemical that is harmful to marine animals in a number of ways. For example, algae gains it’s nutrients through absorption. Algae can absorb bisphenol A, which will affect the entire food web in the end. Small fish tend to eat algae and zooplankton, and when a fish consumes algae that has absorbed bisphenol A, the concentration of the chemical will increase for the fish through a process called bioaccumulation, which causes the chemical to build up in the body of the fish. Not only are these fish at risk of death by toxic chemicals, but when a larger fish eats the smaller fish, they are also consuming the bisphenol A, only an even larger concentration of the chemical. This will continue up the food chain, until the largest marine animals, for example, a dolphin, consumes a fish and gains a high enough concentration of bisphenol A to kill them (nationalgeographic.org). This process is called bioaccumulation, and it has a great impact on the health of marine…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    BIO 420 Methods

    • 538 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There are many methods people can use to reduce plastic pollution. They can reduce, reuse, and recycle. This is the oldest method that is effective if done correctly. They can buy recyclable products with little or no packaging. Buying these products will reduce the use of plastic and will reduce recycling needs which will lead to a cleaner Earth. They can also use biodegradable plastics so we don’t have to worry so much about plastic pollution. Keeping storm drains clean and never littering will also help reduce the plastic that end up in the oceans. Everyone can join the banning of plastic bags which will reduce a significant amount of plastic pollution. Refusing to use disposables and choose to use reusable or Tupperware products. This can reduce plastic pollution because instead of just throwing the container away after using it, it can be washed and reused. People can also help to clean up your local beaches. This will help to reduce the amount of litter and plastic pollution that will eventually end up in the ocean. If one cannot help clean up the beaches, they can make donations to help the clean-up. There are a number of organizations people can donate to such as the Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC. NRDC is one of the nation’s most effective action groups. They work to safeguard the earth — its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.…

    • 538 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Final Paper Com44

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In our effort to make cognitive for the bettering of our environment, we have decided to base our final project around the idea of reducing waste produced by the public and encouraging the public to recycle more of their waste. More specifically, we would like to focus on the reduction of plastics, such as plastic water bottles that are frequently discarded by students.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The concern is are these ideas being developed quick enough? Only 1 in 5 plastic bottles are recycled and water bottles can take between 400 and 1,000 years to decompose. Fishing lines and nets can take up to 600 years to decompose. Plastic pollution in Lake Michigan is approximately the equivalent of 100 Olympic-sized pools full of plastic bottles dumped into the lake every year. One way to help stop plastic pollution is to stop using plastic water bottles, this simple solution would have a huge impact. U.S. and Canada together discard 22 million pounds of plastic into the waters of the Great Lakes each…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Recycling greatly benefits many aspects of the world, particularly the environment. Almost everything used in today’s society is manufactured from plastic (i.e. water/ shampoo/ mouthwash bottles, food containers, furniture, technology, etc.). Due to this, not recycling plastic can lead to many problems in our environment. Recycling plastic promotes the conservation of energy and natural resources. It also contributes to the decrease of water and air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. To add, recycling plastic can save landfill space, or structure…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sustainability is a major problem in society today. Over the human population has become so dependent upon artificial products and materials that a life without these consumer goods is unimaginable. In this investigation, the possibility of changing the negative way in which plastic is seen throughout the world, is challenged through the art of biomimicry.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every year, more than 300 million tons of plastic is made, this poses as a threat when you take a look at how much of this plastic is only intended to be used once and thrown away. Throughout the entire planet, plastics are being used more often and are being thrown away rather than using the recycling bin. When you throw these plastics away, they are taken to a landfill which often times will bury the garbage underground; nevertheless, although you can no longer see the plastic waste, it is still taking a toll on our health. Burying these products creates issues with the ground water that we humans, as well as our pets and other animals, drink from. When the plastics are buried in landfills, they have the potential to leak harmful chemicals into the ground water. Not only do these plastics effect our ground water, but they often times will find their way to the ocean if the landfill is found near a beach. The trash that has found its way to an ocean can float for thousands of…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Plastic Pollution

    • 2651 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Many individuals underestimate the amount of plastic we use each day. According to the article “Plastic Bags Wars”, “the world consumes 1 million plastic shopping bags every minute”. Plastic bags, along with many other types of plastics, have become a leading source of pollution worldwide (Doucette). Captain Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita foundation states that we use two million plastic bottles in the United States every five minutes. Discovered by Charles Moore in 1997, the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is a prime example of the amount of plastic pollution that enters the ocean from land. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been described as a filthy plastic collage of discarded cups, straws, lids, bags, and food container’s. These giant patches of plastic debris have also been identified as the nation’s most significant marine debris problem (Murphy). This enormous amount of plastic pollution on our beaches and in our oceans is harming humans and marine life; therefore, to stop this global issue, we must prevent plastics from entering our oceans.…

    • 2651 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Born in the 20th century and grew up in the 21st century, my life involves many new development and invention from head to toe and every aspects to benefit our life. Things are changing around us very dramatically and very quickly in each century subject to the demand and resources change. Modern inventions cover from hardware, technology, manufacturing, information, medical, education, telecommunication, sport and even food. I would say that several modern invention that have connected things together and mostly comes from plastic base. We are in the plastic society. Anybody who claims that they don’t want to use plastic, they couldn’t deny that they still depend on plastic from sunrise to sunset by using products that are made from plastic. Therefore, we need to know how to cope with its advantage and disadvantage and how to take care of today world environmental problem which half of the problems are from plastic production.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first reason is that the manufacturing of plastics consumes a nonrenewable resource in the earth—petroleum. “Plastics are petroleum-based synthetic materials whose main constituents are carbon and hydrogen” (Wolf, 104). Petroleum, which caused many wars, as known, is in very short supply and used in many different and significant aspects, like the fuel of transportations. As it is nonrenewable, it means the more we use plastic bags, the less petroleum we can use in other essential industry. The wide use of disposable plastic products is damage to the environment.…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Abstract: Plastics have woven their way into our daily lives and now pose a tremendous threat to the environment. Over a 100 million…

    • 2174 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The purpose of this research is to find out the damage that is caused by plastic rubbish and how to avoid it. Plastic rubbish is a global problem and affects us all. This research will be based on secondary research, so by existing literature.…

    • 4928 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plastic Bags

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Plastic bags are seen to create many environmental challenges because of their physical and chemical properties. Due to its molecular structure and its inability to rapidly biodegrade, littered plastic bag breaks down into smaller pieces from exposure to natural elements. These microscopic particles can take up to 1000 years to break down (United Nations Environment Programme, 2005), which creates a long list of challenges. Firstly, plastic bags litter the landscape. After they serve their purpose, a large quantity of them go into disposal areas. Each year a high percentage of plastic bags are resulting in littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into water tubes, waterways, beaches, parks, and streets. In a similar way, U.S National Academy of Sciences (2006) wrote in their fund report that the real reason that the world’s landfills weren’t overflowing with plastic bags was because most of it ended up in ocean-fills. In a like manner, Bags find their way into the sea via drains and sewage pipes (CNN.com/technology, 2007).…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Today it is said that plastic is extremely bad for the environment. It is one of man's worst inventions. Plastic is non-biodegradable. This means that waste plastic cannot be turned into any other substance that is eco friendly. Although tonnes and tonnes of plastic are burned in the most advanced incinerators, all that remains in plastic. It doesn't change into anything else, as many other materials do. Hence plastic waste is dangerous to the environment.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Should Plastic Be Banned

    • 2886 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Today when we go shopping, we will see a lot of people carrying their shopping bags made of plastic. Plastic bags are really convenient for all of us to carry things we have bought. In contrast, there are many disadvantages of using plastic bags. If you know that plastic bags have negative impacts for our environment, I am sure that reducing the use of plastic bags will be happened soon. As we know, using plastic bags are really convenient for all of us to carry things. In contrast, using bags is increasing the severity of Global Warming that we are confronting at the moment. The plastic bags production uses almost ten percent of the world's annual oil…

    • 2886 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics