I need to go to the grocery store and grab a few things. I go into my car and drive down to the grocery store while on the way seeing an occasionally scattered debris of plastic on the side of the road a common sight in a city. I arrive at the grocery store, grab a few things, go to the checkout and then they place my items in plastic bags. I take my plastic bags home, take them out of the bags and put them away. I then throw away the plastic bags because I have no other use for them. Sure, I can save them for something else but I don’t feel like doing that. They have served their purpose even though it was in a short amount of time. The plastic bags eventually make their way to the dump where it will sit for many years to come.
In 1869 John Wesley Hyatt invented the first synthetic polymer by treating cellulose with camphor. This plastic he created was able to be shaped into a variety of sizes and shapes. Hyatt’s plastic invention was a substitute for ivory which at the time was used for billiards and put a strain on the material which was obtained by killing elephants. Plastic was seen as a savior of elephants and the tortoise because now you did not need to rely on ivory or tortoiseshells for human needs or at least not as much.
Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic in 1907 called Bakelite. The term fully synthetic plastic meant that it contained no molecules found in nature. Baekeland invented this type of plastic as a substitute for a natural electrical insulator called shellac. Bakelite was not just a good insulator it was also a great material that could be shaped into almost anything. Baekeland and Hytatt’s inventions showed great potential in business and companies soon invested in plastic manufacturing.
World War II caused demand to increase in plastic manufacturing. In 1933 the plastic wrap called saran was invented which helps to wrap up food so that they do not spoil or if you want to take them somewhere. In 1935 Wallace Carothers invented a synthetic silk called nylon which was used during the war for parachutes, rope and body armor. The demand of plastic during World War II increased to 300%. Even after the war ended the demand in plastic remained steady. Susan Freinkel said on the use of plastic, “In product after product, market after market, plastics challenged traditional materials and won, taking the place of steel in cars, paper and glass in packaging, and wood in furniture.”
With a high demand in plastic there would be a high demand to dispose of them once they have served their purpose for humans. In the 1960s plastic debris began to litter the oceans. The environment encountered more plastic and more plastic in the form of waste because the lifespan of plastic, in terms of their use, is limited to such things as a trip to the grocery store. In the 1970s and 1980s plastic bags became more and more popular. By the 1980s recycling also became popular due to the increase in waste and the large amount of plastic being discarded. Recycling may help to an extent but plastic will eventually find their way to a landfill. Some plastic such as what is in your computer or television have a longer lifespan for human use until the newer models come out and you either discard it or trade it in.
I will need to take a shower later today. When I take a shower I will use shampoo. The shampoo bottle is made of plastic which contains the shampoo. The bathtub, made of fiberglass a type of plastic, provides a convenient area to contain the water and to use the water for showers. After the shower I need to check my phone to see if anyone called me. Several components in the phone are made of plastic. I will then make myself a lunch to take for work. I made a sandwich and now need to put it in something. I will use plastic wrap as it is convenient and protects it. Before I leave for work I grab myself a bottled water which is made of plastic and conveniently holds the water so that I can take it to work.
Plastic has become a great product in many materials we do not even realize as we are so accustomed to using them. When we think of plastic and what is wrong with them we think of plastic bags which is one of the most wasteful of plastics. Currently plastic bags are now in the mindsets of many humans that they must be phased out and instead use something else such as tote bags to cut down on the plastic bag use. So why should we care about plastics now? Why can’t we just continue to use all plastics and not worry about the outcome of waste?
We need to consider the use of plastics and its waste because it takes hundreds of years to decompose. While plastic is decomposing it will just sit there not just as an eyesore but as a threat to wildlife because they may eat plastic by mistake causing them a variety of health problems and possibly death. So what? Those animals are stupid and we won’t interact with them and do not impact me at all. Wrong. Humans eat fish and meat and plastic may have ended up in their life cycle. They can’t differentiate plastic from food.
A graph showing how long plastic takes to decompose. Not in the graph: Estimates on plastic bags to decompose range from 10 to 1,000 years.
There are several ways to help reduce plastic consumption. The main thing you can do is reuse your items. Use a tote bag instead of plastic bags. Use your own bottles for water or coffee instead of buying a bottle or getting a Styrofoam cup. Use stainless steel straws or wooded utensils instead of plastic straws and plastic utensils. Use items that are made of green material and not made of microfibers or synthetic fibers. Use reusable containers instead of plastic containers for your goods. If you are at a grocery store or restaurant refuse the plastic bags and straws. Recycle the plastics properly instead of putting them in the trash. You can’t ignore the use of plastic and the problem they pose on earth. We all must do our part and reduce plastic use. There is no way in completely eliminating plastic in our daily lives but there are plastics like plastic bags and bottles that we can reduce and in the process will increase a better environment not just for wildlife but for humans as well.
Our demand in material goods will increase as the population rises to over 9 billion by 2050 and with that a large amount of plastic is needed to accommodate them but it is up to the current population in this year of 2019 to decide whether that future population will either encounter our consumption in goods in the form of plastic waste or reverse our use of plastics in the form of environmentally friendly material.
Sources
Bellis, Mary. (May 25, 2019) A Brief History of the Invention of Plastics. Retrieved from, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-plastics-1992322
History and Future of Plastics. Retrieved from, https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
Leblanc, Rick. (October 22, 2019) The Decomposition of Waste in Landfills. Retrieved from, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033
Plastics and recycling. Retrieved from, https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2516-plastics-and-recycling
What You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution. Retrieved from, https://www.earthday.org/2018/06/08/what-you-can-do-to-end-plastic-pollution/
Wright, Mark. Kirk, Ashley. Molloy, Mark. Mills, Emma. (January 10, 2018) The stark truth about how long your plastic footprint will last on the planet. Retrieved from, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/10/stark-truth-long-plastic-footprint-will-last-planet/
Andrew R. Nicholas 