Imagine ordering a bunch of food for your birthday party. You invite a bunch of friends over to your house, and everyone grabs a piece of plate, a fork, a spoon, a cup, and some napkins that are made of plastic. They start eating, laughing and having fun, then after the party, the bin is filled with trash. You yawn with tiredness, without noticing them, then tie the bin bag and throw it outside. The next day, the bag is gone and you go back to work; however, you don’t even think about where the bag is going. In fact, they go straight to landfills.
And the main reason why people keep on creating waste is because of inconvenience and government laws.
INCONVENIENCE:
According to research, in the USA, an estimated 40 million tons of just plastic wastes were generated in 2021. The USA sits at the No.2 spot of the country that produces the most plastic waste, while the population in the USA is just 332 million. The No.1 spot is China, it has 20 million tons more plastic wastes than the USA, but China has nearly 5 times the population of the USA!
If this is not clear enough, with calculation, the difference is shown: the average US citizen’s plastic waste is 221 kg annually, and China’s average citizen’s plastic waste is 18 kg. This shows that the average person’s plastic pollution in the US is very high. And it has to do with inconvenience, which I think also relates to “habit”.
With my own experience growing up in a Chinese family, we never use plastic / paper plates, forks or any kinds of disposable tableware. All we do is wash the dishes and bowls after eating, and our bin is never filled with plastic. This year when I came abroad studying in the USA, I realized the difference. For example, my host family Candyce, and her family use these kinds of plastic or paper plates everyday. Eventually, the bin in our kitchen is filled up with these not recyclable plates and not recyclable boxes every week. When I asked her if she always used these kinds of plastic/paper plates in the past, she responded “yes”. I think it is because of convenience; therefore, washing dishes needs time and energy, but you don’t need time or energy throwing away plates. Then people would rather prefer spending no time and energy than spending some time and energy. As time goes on, this becomes a habit, so it is very hard to correct.
In “New survey discovers why most people don’t recycle”, according to research and surveys, “The top reason Americans say they don’t recycle regularly is a lack of convenient access.”
LAWS AND POLICIES:
Another reason is government laws. According to research, there are no national laws in the US that give penalties to citizens who use extra plastics. There are only laws in certain states that require people to separate things like batteries, oil from trash, which has nothing to do with reducing plastics.
GERMANY:
Now, let’s take a look at the leader in the world of recycling and waste management — Germany. In Germany, the government gives out laws to prevent people from creating plastic wastes, it is unlawful for unregistered people to use single – use plastics. And the strong government policies is what makes Germany the number one country in reducing wastes.
Clearly, the solution to plastic waste in America is encouraging the use of personal tableware, and changing the government’s policies on single-use plastic. If these two things are put into effect, then there will be a huge difference in the amount of average citizen’s plastic waste in America.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
—-Why is it important to take action to plastic wastes? —–
—-What difference will be made with the help of each individuals on plastic wastes?—–
WORK CITED:
https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/lifestyle/trash-one-person-produces-year/
(Carly Hallman, title max)
(
(Pollution solutions online, Mar 14 2022)
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/5817/step-by-step-how-to-recycle-in-germany
( Published on : 2017/10/30)
(19 Dec 2018
Len Williams)
2 Comments
Araceli L · January 6, 2023 at 3:20 am
It is crucial to take action against plastic pollution because, if we keep using single-use plastics, we will end up destroying our planet and creating landfills everywhere. Both animals on land and marine life suffer as a result of this plastic garbage entering the waters. Many animals ingest these plastics because they mistake them for food, which makes them sick and ultimately kills them. This has a significant impact on the food chain and extinction. With less new plastic garbage, greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change are reduced. Plastic waste must be eliminated if we are to save our planet. They leave their mark on Earth but never completely disappear.
Sarah H · January 19, 2023 at 4:45 pm
It’s important to take action when it comes to plastic waste because plastic is one of the biggest issues that affects the environment. Plastic takes years to decompose and usually ends up in landfills, just lying in the street, and in the ocean. If we continue this pattern of using plastic wastefully, there will eventually be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Also, microplastics are a huge issue. Research has shown that humans have microplastics in their bodies and even in their blood. If everyone helped prevent the spread of all plastic waste, then plastic would become less of a problem and our communities would be greener and cleaner. We would see less waste in oceans and overall in public areas. We can start making a difference by replacing single-use plastics with reusable alternatives when possible.
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