The History of Plastic Pollution

By Mia Golosino 8R

Plastic pollution was first noticed in the late 1960s. However, the demonstration of the first synthetic plastic dates back to 1862 - Alexander Parkes’ exhibit in London. It was named Parkesine and was made from sulfuric and nitric acid and cellulose, such as cotton.

Many years later in 1709, Leo Baekeland refined the synthetic plastic to become Bakelite. Bakelite was the first fossil-fuel based artificial plastic; it contains phenol, which is corrosive and toxic and formaldehyde, which is a dangerous gas that can potentially cause health problems such as chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, nose and throat irritation and even cancer. Bakelite does not melt, so it was later used for cameras, telephones and ashtrays to prevent burning.

During World War II, plastic was vastly used for wheels, parachute chords (nylon), cockpits (perspex) , radar insulation and much more! So after the war in 1946, the National Plastics Exhibition was opened in New York City to reveal the new plastic consumption methods used.

Then plastic pollution was recognised after plastic pellets were found in the North Atlantic. Pellets are also known as nurdles, and are essentially fragments of pre production plastic.

In 1979, plastic grocery bags were introduced in the United States after the first plastic bag was invented by Gustaf Thulin in the 1960s. It is made from melted polyethylene granules that are cooled then stretched to form the bag’s shape.

A year later in 1980, New Jersey adopted a recycling program due to litter awareness campaigns from the 1960s-70s after the first recycling mill was built in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. In 1988, there were 1,000 recycling programs, which quintupled in 1992.

Through the 1990s, microbeads use in cosmetics started and began to increase.

In 1997 Charles Moore, an English journalist, discovered The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (also known as the Pacific trash vortex). It consists of two large areas of trash, litter and debris accumulated in the East and West of the North Pacific Gyre. In the Gyre is more than 100,000,000 tonnes of trash with US and China being two of the most responsible countries. Most of our garbage is not biodegradable, which means that they cannot be decayed through living organisms in the ocean. The sun photodegrades the plastic and its polymer bonds are weakened. They deplete the slightly harmful chemical BPA (bisphenol A), which is the synthetic compound used in plastic since the 1960s. Though it is only slightly harmful, the horrifying amount of plastic in the ocean intensifies the effect of the chemical.

Plastic did and does not just affect the ocean but it blocks drainage too. This is why Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags. San Francisco also enacted the ban in 2007.

In 2008, a government investigation showed that the BPA lining in baby-formula cans and bottles could cause breast cancer, prostate problems and behaviour problems. This was indicated by links to hormone and brain development disruption, cancer, miscarriages and abnormally high urine concentration due to BPA.

The next concern was the use of microbeads, which are minute chunks of plastic added to cosmetic products for exfoliation and are sometimes coloured for the product’s visual appeal. But microbeads are awfully harmful to marine life because they are so miniscule that they circumvent the water filters and reach the ocean. They are non-biodegradable, so they will not disappear, which means they are consumed by fish; we end up eating plastic pellet filled fish. This is why microbeads were first banned in Netherlands in 2014, followed by Canada, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

In 2017, BBC’s Blue Planet ended on an impactful episode - “Our Blue Planet”. It focused on the heartbreaking effects of humans’ carelessness towards plastic, such as injured birds and bleached coral due to the strong build up of chemicals in plastics. There were also suggestions as to how we can make a difference, such as the single use plastic tax since the wider use of reusable plastic containers will decrease the plastic litter.

Plastic has developed throughout the years for the better and the worse. Business and economy have moved forward, but the price that has to be payed to save our planet is becoming much heavier than the good aspects plastic has come with. Yes, plastic has guaranteed an advancement in technology, but The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing just as much as our technological future.

To read more about the history of plastic, use these links:

https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-history-ecological-crisis-2560978473.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-brief-history-of-plastic-world-conquest/

https://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/about-plastics/history-of-plastics/the-history-of-recycling-plastic/

Articles from the Mensa Magazine - The IQ Issue - February 2019 :

We will help recycle your plastic tenners!

Lance Haward (Feedback December) bemoans the decision of the Bank of England to introduce polypropylene bank notes at a time when we "have just woken up to the need to curb the torrent of indestructible plastic". However, in reality the plastic we need to stop using is 'single-use' plastic which then gets thrown away.

The whole idea of banknotes is, at least in my household, that they are not disposed of in the environment an so should never end up in the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' or in the belly of a turtle or whale.

At the end of their life (up to 25 times as long as a cotton/linen note), the polymer can be recycled. All in all, a good decision by the BoE.

-John Stephen

Having read Lance Haward's letter (Feedback November) regarding the potentially ill timed introduction of plastic banknotes by the Bank of England, just as the world is waking up to the long term problems of plastic, I find myself agreeing with his sentiments. I would like to say that if anyone feels uneasy about using this plastic money, please feel free to send it to me and I will make sure that it is recycled in a satisfactory manner.

- Paul Hulme

Please read on to find out how plastic affects the environment and how we can help save our planet.

How Plastic Pollution Affects Animals

Isabel Tarabbia 7D

The plastic that is entering our oceans is killing the sea life that is forced to live amongst it. It is believed that 700 species could go extinct because of it. Current estimates suggest that at least 267 species worldwide have been affected, including 84% of sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species – but there are probably many more.

When animals eat, they just eat any objects that look like food. For example, a plastic bag that is floating around looks a lot like a jelly fish and it could easily be mistaken for one. When the plastic gets swallowed, it doesn’t get digested and the plastic just builds up in the animals’ stomach. This makes them feel full all the time and they don’t eat more of the healthy food. Some sea birds get so heavy from the pile of plastic inside them that they can’t fly very well and end up drowning in the ocean. The record number of pieces of plastic found in one 90-day old seabird chick is 276 pieces=15% of that bird’s body mass. Translated into human terms, that’s 6-8 kilos of plastic, or the equivalent of 12 pizzas inside your stomach.

The ingested plastic also releases toxins into the blood stream, making them unwell and, in some cases, even affecting the reproductive system or other organs. Without effective reproduction, the species will die out very quickly.

Humans are also victims of the plastic pollution. Even though we don’t live in the water and eat the plastic directly, the sea creatures we eat will have ingested plastic themselves or will have eaten other creatures that had plastic within them. At the lowest level of the food chain, there are two types of plankton: zooplankton (animals) and phytoplankton (plants), zooplankton feed on phytoplankton. Small fish then feed on zooplankton, squid feed on small fish, humans eat the fish and squid and so it goes on up the food chain.

Another way plastic harms wildlife is that many animals get entangled in debris or discarded products, like lobster cages or fishing lines and nets. If they get trapped, they can’t search for food, breath properly or escape predators. In addition, ropes, lines or other pieces often cut so badly the animals that they will not survive, due to blood loss, infection 4or debilitation.

Minimisation of plastic in the ocean

By Alyssa Dench 7R

Plastic is a huge issue within our oceans. It’s estimated that 1 million sea birds and 100,000 sea creatures are killed by plastic every year. Whether it entangles, chokes, poisons or starves – ocean plastic is bad news for marine wildlife which means it’s bad news for humans too. Here are ways that you can help reduce plastic in our oceans:

Get rid of single-use plastic

On average, we produce over 300 million tons of plastic worldwide, of which half was single-use. We can start off by not buying single-use plastic. Most single-use plastic is not recyclable, or even when it is, only a tiny fraction is actually recycled.

Shop local & request plastic-free packaging

Another important aspect is shopping. If you don’t want more plastic packaging, then it’s important to make an effort to avoid buying it.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to shop local and request plastic-free packaging. Local stores are more likely to listen to their customers, and the produce you buy generally has shorter supply chains, so plastic is easier to cut out.

Purchase second-hand instead of buying new

Purchasing second hand items instead of buying new avoids the plastic packaging that often comes with new purchases. It also means that perfectly good things, that are no longer required by their current owners, will not end up in landfills, resulting in less plastic falling into our oceans.

In most second hand shops you can find furniture, books, clothes, toys, baby gear, electronics and more.

Choose products made from recycled materials

Choosing products made from recycled materials results in less need for new plastic to be made, and it is keeping plastic in use rather than having it end up as worthless waste. Creating demand for products made from recycled materials gives plastic waste a value, and means it is less likely to end up in our environment and oceans.

These are just a few, easy ways to reduce plastic, to find out more go to: https://lessplastic.co.uk/9-ways-you-can-reduce-ocean-plastic/