Reasons to Refuse

Microplastics

A Microplastic is any piece of plastic less than five millimeters in length (about the size of a grain of rice.) Microplastics are sometimes manufactured, but are most often the result of larger pieces of plastic that break down, which permeate into our environment and into the stomachs of wildlife. In 2017, The United Nations reported that an estimated 51 trillion microplastic particles (500 times more than stars in our galaxy) were found in the oceans, as a result of the eight million (plus) metric tons of plastic that end up in oceans EVERY YEAR.This is not only a marine issue, however. Microplastics are found virtually everywhere, including in our food, the placentas of pregnant mothers, and in human breastmilk. Microfibers are also a form of microplastic, which is the result of garments made of synthetic fabrics shedding in the washer or dryer [3]. Recently, microplastics have been found in the majority of uteruses of pregnant women! [13]

Most Plastic is Not Recycled.

Many people believe that placing plastic waste in the recycling bin is the most responsible way to combat plastic waste. Although recycling is certainly the best thing to do if you find yourself with a piece of unwanted plastic, it should be a last resort! Here’s why: Most plastics can only be recycled two times into a lower “grade” of plastic, a process known as downcycling [4]. For example, a plastic bottle eventually recycled into a pair of leggings, then the leggings thrown away once worn out. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the number in the small triangle symbol which is an indicator of what type of plastic it is (see above graphic). Just because you see the symbol doesn’t mean it can be recycled! [5] Additionally, studies in the United States claim that anywhere from 75% to 90% of plastic is NOT recycled. [6,7] The best action we can take as individuals is to REFUSE any plastic you don’t need (i.e. bags at the grocery store,) REDUCE the amount of plastic you use (such as wearing your own flip flops to a pedicure appointment) and REUSE the plastic items you already have as many times as possible.

Human Impact

In addition to the grotesque impact to our environment and ecosystem, plastic waste has the greatest human effects in low-income communities. Low-income areas provide less access to proper disposal and recycling resources for waste, augmenting a litter problem that exists everywhere. Increased pollution has a direct correlation to negative physical and mental health effects of people, diminishes property value, and is even linked to higher crime rates. [8] Excessive consumption of plastic, and the subsequent waste, does not only affect those using the single-use goods, though. Metric tons of waste from the United States is shipped to low-DGP countries under the guise of “recycling.” This act is most documented in the cases of tech waste in Asia, and textile waste in Africa, but plastic waste knows no boundaries. The world’s poorest countries offers the Unites States lucrative dumping ground for waste, in the form of cheap labor and limited (if existing) environmental laws and working condition regulations. [9, 10] This is incredibly unethical to the environment, poor communities, and to the people who work in unsafe conditions with little to no pay, literally sorting out someone else’s mess.

Plastic Bags Don’t Biodegrade

Landfills rely on the process of biodegradation, the process in which bacteria breaks down compounds like fallen leaves in the fall eventually becoming part of the soil. Plastics, however, can only be broken down with photodegradation, meaning that the UV rays from the sun breaks down the plastic at the molecular level. [11] This is problematic because once the plastic is buried underneath even one shallow layer of garbage in a landfill, it will remain intact until it reaches sunlight, and can begin to be broken down. At the rate new garbage is dumped into American landfills daily, buried plastics can remain completely intact for hundreds of years! To put this into perspective, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that approximately 19% of landfill waste is plastic, [12] which means almost one fifth of the landfill will be comprised of the exact same plastic components up to five centuries from now.

Alternatives

The best defense against plastic pollution is to decrease demand by using less. Most people know about “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse,” but the Tiny Tote team believes the most important “R” is REFUSE. If you don’t need a bag, REFUSE it! If you need a bag, REDUCE your demand for plastic by REUSING your own bag (or opting for paper.) If you end up with a plastic bag, RECYCLE! Check out our phenomenal finds page for reusable products to help reduce your daily consumption of plastic, keeping in mind that using what you already have is always the best option!

Resources

[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/02/552052-turn-tide-plastic-urges-un-microplastics-seas-now-outnumber-stars-our-galaxy

[2] https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2020/06/new-studies-microplastics-found-in-fruit-and-veg/

[3] https://www.thehonestconsumer.com/blog/microplastics-in-clothing

[4] https://www.plaineproducts.com/recycling-aluminum-plastic/

[5] https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/plastics-by-the-numbers/

[6] https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/09/20/how-to-recycle-plastic

[7] https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data#:~:text=EPA%20used%20data%20from%20the%20American%20Chemistry%20Council,specific%20types%20of%20plastic%20containers%20is%20more%20significant.

[8] http://environment.cenn.org/waste-management/publications/reasons-consequences-possible-solutions-littering/

[9] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/17/recycled-plastic-america-global-crisis

[10] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/this-is-what-the-world-s-waste-does-to-people-in-poorer-countries/[10] https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/how-long-does-it-take-for-plastics-to-biodegrade.htm

[11] https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/how-long-does-it-take-for-plastics-to-biodegrade.htm

[12] https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#Landfilling

[13] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297