Episode 14: Plastic Rain, Plastic Ocean

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the world today. Originally invented in 1907, plastic production amped up after World War II when thousands of new plastic products were invented. Many of these developments mark important innovations - life-saving devices that revolutionized the world of medicine, equipment for clean drinking water, and even plastic components that made space travel possible. By the 1980’s, however, single use plastics like plastic bags and to-go cups were growing increasingly popular, changing humanity’s relationship with plastic forever. To date, there exists 8.3 billion tons of plastic in the world, 6.3 billion tons of which is trash.  

Now, single use plastics account for about 40% of plastic production each year, with half of all plastics ever made produced in the last 15 years. While products like plastic bags, to-go cups, and product wrappers serve their purpose within minutes to hours, they hang around in the environment for up to 400 of years, often ending up in the ocean. In fact, experts estimate that approximately 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year. Millions of animals are killed by plastics, usually through entanglement or starvation. 

But it isn’t just the animals who suffer. When plastics break down, they don’t decompose and turn into soil - they transform into smaller particles of plastic known as microplastics. Microplastics have been found in every corner of the world, from the highest peak of Mount Everest to the depths of the Mariana Trench. As microplastics break down even further, they inevitably travel through the air we breath and the water we and food we consume. Some scientists believe that on average, we consume around 5 grams of microplastic a week (the weight of a credit card).

Think recycling helps? Think again. Very few plastics are actually recyclable. In 2018, for instance, only 8.7% of all plastic waste was recycled in the US, leaving 91.3% in landfills, incinerators, or making their way into the ocean. Our best defense is to limit and discourage the use of single-use plastics.

Further Reading:

• Visualizing the Amount of Microplastics We Consume

• The World's Plastic Crisis Explained

• The Age of Plastic: From Parkesine to Pollution

• From birth to ban: A history of the plastic shopping bag - UNEP