East Carolinian

Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Opinion

We live in a land of trash mostly made up of plastic that is slowly but surely becoming harmful to our environment. One hundred million tons of plastic are produced in the world each year, and the number is rising. It's not just plastic bags from grocery stores that are causing problems, but also every other item made of plastic: bottles, packaging, dinnerware, CDs, toys, household items … the list goes on and on. Almost everything we use today is composed of plastic. So, why would this be such a problem? Plastic is a non-biodegradable product. In simpler terms, it takes hundreds or even millions of years for many plastic products to degrade.

One of the main concerns with plastic is the problem in the ocean systems. As we speak, there are trash patches almost three times the size of Texas spread across the world's oceans. A major pile of trash was only recently discovered right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. How is this normal, and how can this be safe for our environment? This is disgusting, yet kind of scary if you think about it.

So, how did this trash pile come about in the middle of the ocean? Litter that is left on the coastlines, especially in California, is swept out into the ocean by currents. The trash then gets dropped into the middle of the ocean due to the way the winds move the currents. Not only is there trash left on the earth by the human population, but spills from ships' cargo and oil platforms also contribute to this major problem. It's the earth's natural phenomena that place the trash piles, but it's the human pollution and carelessness that creates this unnatural pile of garbage.

Some might ask again why this would cause any problems. As mentioned before, plastic takes forever to degrade; that leaves plastic floating in the ocean, harming the surrounding environment. Plastic increases the levels of toxin intake in the surrounding water. Sea life and birds mistake particles of plastic for food and then ingest harmful chemicals that will not digest, leaving them to die due to lack of nutrients and ingestion of unnatural products. This disturbs the natural food web and impacts human health. Not only is plastic causing litter in the earth's environment, it also contains hormone disruptors that can affect human health just by using these products.

So, bottom line, plastic is causing many problems in the earth's systems and surrounding population. The only solution to this ongoing problem is for companies to stop producing as many plastic products, and for us to change our consumption habits. Not only are you harming yourself by drinking out of plastic water bottles every day, but you are also harming the environment around you when you throw them away. Next time you consider getting a pop out of the vending machine, discard it properly by recycling, or start buying glass bottles rather than plastic. Every little bit counts in making the earth a better place.

Sources from this article include www.newstarget.com



This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com

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