Let’s talk about trash. Global warming aside, no one can deny that we have a real plastic trash problem. We, as Americans, can completely fill the largest NFL stadium we have, AT&T Stadium, with plastic trash more than 1.5 times a day[1]. Plastic is in our blood, our food, our water, the air we breathe, and our unborn babies[2] . We dump billions of excess tons of our plastics on third world countries[3], attempting (albeit shortsightedly) to shift the problem away from the U.S., and what plastic does stay here eventually ends up in our rivers and oceans.
Many of us try to be diligent with recycling, but studies have shown that the recycling push greatly backfires. We worry less about buying plastic because we assume it will all be recycled. In truth? Less than 10% of it is. Most of the plastic that we throw in our recycle bins ends up in a landfill anyway[4]. What is recycled can only be recycled two or three times until it is so degraded it has to be thrown out. Recycling has proven not to be the answer to our plastics problem.
As a nation, our priority should be reducing our use of plastic in the first place. We are inundated with single-use plastic products. How many times have we seen oranges, potatoes, bananas, avocados—things with natural protective skin—senselessly wrapped in non-recyclable cellophane in the grocery store? We can send a message to companies and plastic producers by taking a stand and refusing to buy these products. We can switch to reusable sandwich bags, straws, and water bottles, and beeswax wraps to replace the non-recyclable cellophane.
QPL offered free beeswax wrap craft kits during Summer Reading to help people learn just how easy it is to switch to reusable products instead of disposable plastics, but we would like to encourage our community’s vigilance against plastic consumption to continue beyond the Summer Reading program. In addition to switching to reusable products at home, we can do more to reduce plastic use:
- Buy loose bulk when you can
- Look for compostable packaging
- Visit local produce sellers (we have some great Farmer’s Markets in Quincy!)
- Choose products in glass or paper containers, both of which are easily recycled (paper can even be composted)
Overall, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t avoid plastics entirely when you shop. It is virtually impossible to get through the grocery store entirely plastic-free. Take what steps you can, and aim for progress, not perfection! If you missed the beeswax wrap craft kits and would like to learn how to make your own, click on the link above (Beeswax Wraps.PDF) for directions. Summer Reading may be almost at an end, but being Earth-conscious doesn’t have to be!
[1] Trash in America. (2021, September 29). Environment America Research & Policy Center. https://environmentamerica.org/center/resources/trash-in-america-2/
[2] Yang, J., Kamstra, J. H., Legler, J., & Aardema, H. (2023). The impact of microplastics on female reproduction and early life. Animal Reproduction, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-3143-ar2023-0037
[3] Mosbergen, D. (2019, March 9). Here’s why America is dumping its trash in poorer countries. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/03/heres-why-america-is-dumping-its-trash-in-poorer-countries/
[4] The Big Problem With Plastic - Consumer Reports. (n.d.). Www.consumerreports.org. https://www.consumerreports.org/environment-sustainability/the-big-problem-with-plastic