Key Club's Reusable Straw Sale Notes Dangers of Plastic

Throughout recent decades we have seen how much our reliance on plastic has impacted the environment; this is especially prevalent in New York City. From abandoned cigarettes containing plastic fibers scatter across the concrete, to supermarket bags that asphyxiate trees, and empty water bottles which occupy open spaces. The coastlines of Coney Island’s sandy shores are plagued with food wrappers and plastic straws; all of which contribute to the overwhelming garbage spilling into the Atlantic. The bigger question is would the general public be willing to leave their plastic straws for a more environment-friendly alternative at the sake of their convenience. 

According to the UN Environment Programme, 79% of the 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic that has been produced since the mid-twentieth century has accumulated in the natural environment, while only 9% of that plastic has been recycled. An appalling 8 million tonnes of plastic wind up in the Earth’s oceans each consecutive year. This plastic waste derives from rivers, which serve as channels of trash from cities to the aquatic environment. Since plastic is extremely durable and undegradable, it is nearly impossible for nature to break down plastic waste. Instead of fully disappearing, plastic waste becomes smaller over a gradual time. Minuscule plastic particles are consumed by fish, thus entering the food chain, and consequently, human bodies. More specifically, human beings ingest microplastic particles through the consumption of salmon and trout, according to research gathered by the Marine and Freshwater Centre at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. More than twenty different species of fish, birds, mammals, and crustaceans are potentially at risk from microplastic pollution. Many of these species are endangered due to microplastic pollution.

But the plastic that amasses in the natural environment poses more than one threat; microplastic contamination has been discovered in tap water from countries around the world. In an investigation conducted by Orb Media, scores of tap water samples from more than a dozen countries were tested. 83% of the samples were contaminated with plastic fibers, the United States’ samples having the highest contamination rate at 94%. Dr. Anne Marie Mahon at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, who conducted research on microplastic contamination in well samples, described the potential health issues, in the form of pathogens, that microplastic particles can harbor. She explained that nanoparticles in the presence of plastic fibers have the ability to penetrate a cell and, ultimately, perforate organs, which would cause a state of concern. Plastic waste in the presence of sewage increases the transmission of vector-borne diseases and provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes, thus presenting another danger to human health. 

Fortunately, the world is waking up to the plastic pollution crisis. Countries, businesses, and school communities have incentivized changes to motivate recycling and decrease the percentage of plastic waste that accumulates in the natural environment. Fabiola Muñoz, Peru’s Environment Minister, and President Martín Vizcarra promulgated a decree to prevent the possession of single-use plastics in Peru’s cultural protected areas. Service businesses in Washington, D.C. will begin receiving fines if they proceed to provide plastic straws by July of 2019. The NEST+m Key Club has implemented a reusable straw sale titled “help save the turtles” in an attempt to highlight sea turtles as a particular species of marine life that ingests plastic waste. According to National Geographic, 86% of sea turtle species are known to be affected by plastic debris. It is common for plastic straws to get stuck in sea turtles’ naval cavities. This inhibits sea turtles’ abilities to utilize their survival senses and makes it difficult for the them to breathe. Plastic waste can also interfere with the consumption and reproductive abilities of sea turtles. The Key Club’s initiative focuses on expanding students’ awareness of these particular calamities of plastic pollution and harnessing a small change that could reduce NEST+m’s plastic disposition. “Our organization decided to focus on an environmental project,” stated Sophia Tranguch ‘22, a member of the NEST+m Key Club. “Plastic is harmful to aquatic and animal life. The importance of informing the students’ that their choices can make a difference cannot be undermined.” 

Human civilization is obligated to save marine species and the environment. If the majority of the NEST+m student body purchased reusable straws, refused to endorse plastic water bottle companies, and avidly recycled, strides would be made to advocate and establish a healthier earth, one where diverse species could coexist and thrive rather than struggle to survive.