Because we love ourselves and others, because we love this beautiful valley and because we love the earth…
When did we become a plastic society? I watched a youtube special with Jeff Bridges and Plastic. He is part of the Plasticpollutioncoalition.org. Below, I’m quoting most of what he had to say. After being on the board of Ravalli County Recycling for several years I’ve watched the flow of plastic increase. As a local nonprofit group providing a service to our community (without any government support), we discovered that taking plastic was not working. We presently have stockpiled #1 plastics that we may end up paying to dispose of at the landfill. The market for plastic fell because it is presently cheaper to make single use plastics from oil, because, as we see at the gas pump, the price of oil has fallen. Our goal now is to help educate our community to stop using single use plastics such as: plastic bags, plastic water bottles, plastic cups, plastic wraps, plastic utensils, plastic to go containers, etc. 500-700 plastic bags are used by most Americans every year. Less than 7% of plastics are recycled. Much is down cycled (landfill), shipped to China (that market has fallen away) or burned (ozone depletion).
Plastic is a substance that the Earth cannot digest. All plastic that has ever been created still exists. 88,000 tons of plastic are thrown out everyday in the US. Most plastic goes to landfills and/or ends up in the oceans. Recycling is not a sustainable solution. It’s actually called down cycling because plastic never goes away. Consumption of disposable plastics has spiraled out of control. The number one thing plastic is made out of is oil. 17,000,000 barrels of oil are used every year to make just plastic water bottles. This is enough to fuel one million cars every year. Plastic pieces in the ocean now outnumber sea life 6-1. Plastic makes up almost 90% of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface or 46,000 pieces per square mile. Plastic breaks down into tiny bits with most in the marine environment.
What affect does plastic have on human health? Plastic has chemicals like BPA that are absorbed by the body. These alter hormones and disrupt the endocrine system. 93% of Americans have BPA in their bodies. BPA has been linked with: risk for cardiovascular disease, breast, brain and prostate cancer, attention-related disorders, erectile dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, learning disorders, early onset of puberty, infertility, diabetes and obesity.
By refusing disposable plastics you can help the environment and human and animal health. In 2009 the PlasticPollutionCoalition built a global alliance to combat single use disposal plastics. 200 plus cities worldwide have plastic bag bans. Plastic is a global problem humans have caused.
Carry reusable items with you, like a water bottle, a cup and shopping bags. Only purchase items in sustainable packaging (glass or wax paper). Refuse plastic containers.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and REFUSE. We can save our oceans, our planet and ourselves from Plastic!
Suzanna McDougal
Hamilton