Harmful Plastics
Posted April 23rd, 2010
Part II
by Kenny Symonds, Working Owner
Plastic will never decompose, it breaks down into smaller and smaller fragments and the only process that will make it go away is incineration. But when plastic is incinerated it releases chemicals into the atmosphere including dioxins, which are the most harmful of toxins.
So our top solution is none other than the landfill. Plastics are currently responsible for more that 10% of the worlds landfilled garbage. When our garbage is taken to the landfill, these chemicals still exude and poison the earth itself and eventually collect in the underground water systems. Interestingly enough, plastics are not biodegradable and their “bio-based” alternatives haven’t been proven to be either.
As for our oceans, they are housing incredible amounts of plastic garbage ranging in size, shape and form. There are tires floating alongside toothbrushes, diapers, water bottles, cigarette butts, and the list goes on. Streams, rivers and drains are carrying all of these plastic items into our most precious resource and as a result contaminate it with the poisonous chemicals that are found in them. These bottle caps and plastic fragments are now floating in the ocean and appear much like the food sources that our marine life eats. When a bird, fish or turtle eats these fragments not only does it clog their stomachs it is also poisoning them with chemicals that are leaching out. To date, more than 180 animals have been documented to have ingested plastics. If it isn’t bad enough that animals are dying from consuming these poisons themselves, take into account the food chain. One animal eats the plastic and absorbs the toxins and then another animal eats another and absorbs the toxins from the first and the chain continues. How long until those toxins reach us through our shrimp or fish is unknown. At this time, little research has been done to show if our food is already carrying these toxins.
Plastics are littering our planet in every possible place and way and there is only one solution, to stop using and producing it as much as possible.
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