Activity 3.3.3 – My Plastic Use

 

Microplastics are fine pieces of plastic that measure not longer than five millimeters long and have either come from broken down pieces of larger plastic or were intentionally made that way for things like cosmetic purposes (Microplastics, n.d.). For instance, many scrubs such as facial scrubs may contain microplastics. Many popular brands such as Lush, Maybelline and Sephora use more than eighty percent plastic (Prabhakar,2021). One of these brands even having an ecofriendly façade. They also found that “Plastics were present in 79% of the 672 products checked online, 38% were solid microplastics” (Prabhakar,2021).  Most of these microplastics coming from mascara (Prabhakar,2021). This is an enormous problem seeing how deceptive these companies are as well as the damage they are doing to our environment.  They are also “produced from the use of synthetic fibers in textiles” (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.).  This is referring to clothing. Despite what we might believe is cotton or many other fabrics they are often blends of fabric often containing fibers of “polyester,” “nylon,” “polyamide,” “acrylic” which are all plastic (Laura, 2021). When washed, worn, or dried they let go of some of these tiny fibers (Laura, 2021). This means on a day-to-day basis we are constantly consuming, wearing, and dropping off microplastic wherever we go.

 

They are found in rivers, streams, oceans, our own blood and just about everywhere you could imagine (Snider, 2022). This can affect our ecosystems biodiversity and play a role in “alteration of habitat structure, 10 bioaccumulation and biomagnification” (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). This has begun to turn full circle and, as previously stated, we have begun to see microplastics in our blood and our food and water. A study done by the University of Newcastle in Australia estimated that we eat approximately five grams of microplastic a week (Green, 2021). “…equivalent to a credit card’s worth!” (Green, 2021). It has also begun to affect our lungs. Microplastics are even found in the air that we breath (Laura, 2021). “Research found that the ingestion of household fibers per person per year can amount to between 14,000 and 68.000 particles” (Laura, 2021). Microplastics were found in the lung tissue thirty years ago (Laura, 2021). These people that work in the textile industry have suffered from coughing, reduced lung capacity and more (Laura, 2021). Imagine what this will begin to do to those of us who do not work in the textile industry as plastic begins to consume more and more of everyday lives.

They get there typically by improper waste disposal (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.).  Due to their size, they are not able to be removed by wastewater treatment plants and end up in our environment via “effluent discharge” or through the sewage (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). This can also occur from us not disposing of clothing and other products in the proper way. Simply throwing our clothes out will lead them to landfill where it will further affect the environment. A better alternative would be to donate, trade, or resell clothing items as well as many other things. Another alternative would be to recycle what you are able to. “The EPA reports that Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste a year, equaling just over six percent of total municipal waste (for context, plastics make up 13 percent of our waste stream)” (Green America, n.d.).

 

 

In conclusion, I believe that while it might already be too late, I believe that our best bet is to begin to cycle out plastics from our everyday lives. To begin to carefully look at the labels of what we are buying such as clothes and making the switch to more sustainable options. To choose to no longer put our money in the pockets of companies that are not giving back to our environment and continue to keep damaging it. We the consumer hold all the power in the world despite feeling hopeless. Our money sadly is our voice and if we choose to collectively not buy from companies that refuse to make a change, they will either make those changes or will lose out. We have the ability to make a difference, but it all comes down to holding ourselves accountable for what we choose to allow to continue.

Works cited:

Microplastics: What are they and why are they a problem. ClientEarth. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/news/microplastics-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-a-problem/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqoibBhDUARIsAH2OpWj44FJexAR89sUliuiji0Kq2jIeRGd3sZTvrb1ZpZ8MePXU-8tPiVgaAnUpEALw_wcB

 

Snider, Mike. “Microplastics Have Been Found in Air, Water, Food and Now ... Human Blood.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 Mar. 2022, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/03/25/plastics-found-inside-human-blood/7153385001/.

 

Haab, S., & Haab, K. (n.d.). The environmental impacts of microplastics: An investigation of microplastic pollution in North Country waterbodies. Adventure Scientists. 

 

Green, Joy. “Study Finds We Eat Far More Microplastics than We Realise.” The Futures Centre, 21 June 2021, https://www.thefuturescentre.org/signal/study-finds-we-eat-far-more-microplastics-than-we-realise/?gclid=CjwKCAjwzY2bBhB6EiwAPpUpZieV6ek9uU3zu3_pN9NkrWnDyow_ihAL74gZ_D4xY0fuZIyxxHRqAxoCBK8QAvD_BwE.

 

Prabhakar, Madhuri. “11 Makeup-Brands Exposed with Use of Microplastics.” Beat the Microbead, 10 Feb. 2021, https://www.beatthemicrobead.org/11-makeup-brands-exposed-with-the-use-of-microplastics/.

 

Laura. “The Invisible Threat: Microplastics from Your Clothes.” Plastic Soup Foundation, 23 Nov. 2021, https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2021/03/the-invisible-threat-microplastics-from-your-clothes/.

 

“What Really Happens to Unwanted Clothes?” Green America, https://www.greenamerica.org/unraveling-fashion-industry/what-really-happens-unwanted-clothes.

A Day of plastic use:

    This is a photo of the amount of plastic that I use typically in a day. Luckily, I have tried to cut back on ordering, and I don't get out a crazy amount other than to go to the gym. I have been slowly making swaps in my day to day such as purchasing bar soap and plan on switching to more ecofriendly alternatives. Taking photos of what you use throughout the day of things that contain plastic makes you think about how much of it you interact with every day. It also made me feel more and more worried about what this is doing to our environment when I get rid of these items or what they are doing to my body.