Plastic Invasion
A Global Epidemic
English 2010 Terry
Erica
4/29/2014
Plastic Invasion
A Global Epidemic
I am going to go right and just say it, I feel like we have been invaded by an entity that has
and still is impacting our planet more than we know it. The sad thing is there is something we
can do to slow it down. I am talking about disposable plastic bags. They are everywhere just look
around one day and see how many you can see dancing in the wind down your street or floating
in your local streams. We are being overrun with our “disposable” plastics and it is affecting the
well-being of seabirds, marine life, harm on our natural resources and the possibility to lead back
to human health.
I would like to see further effort from people to try and slow this spectacle down. I propose
for more cities and countries to ban plastic bags and/or introduce a charge on the single-use
plastic bags. I know this sounds harsh paying for something that has always been free but as a
global citizen I feel more needs to be done to help protect our oceans and its occupants.
What really grabbed my intention was in April 2011 I went to Mexico on a guided tour and
while I was swimming something grazed my side and it made me let out a small scream. Not
knowing what it was, I was scared it might be a shark or a jellyfish; I looked down and realized
my attacker was trash. We were in the Yucatan Peninsula at Tulum, Mexico. It is an ancient
Mayan town in the years 1,000-1,600 (Mayasites Travel Services). This place is of breathtaking
beauty from its white sandy beaches, vibrant green landscape, and turquoise waters of the
Caribbean.
It made me sad to be in a place that was so beautiful and be swimming alongside plastic trash
in the Caribbean. Finding plastic in ocean waters is not hard to come by these days since
1
Captain Charles Moore was the first person to discover an immense (some say to be as big as
Texas) collection of floating plastic debris, today known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”
and/or “Pacific Trash Vortex” (Greenberg). The location of the “The Great Pacific Garbage
Patch” is in the North Pacific. Studies conducted have found that there are similar plastic waste
sites with comparable levels to “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in all major oceans making
this a global issue. Most of the debris (80%) comes from mainland trash that has been swept up
by wind, dancing its way into local streams and eventually finding its way to the ocean. The
debris gets trapped in an area of calm waters that are surrounded by ocean currents and high
winds (Greenpeace International).
Figure 1
In opposition to the size and effects Captain Charles Moore claims on the “The Great Pacific
Garbage Patch” otherwise known as “Trash Vortex” 2Jay L. Wile seems to think they are
excessive. Wile commented on Moore’s estimation of the “patch” being roughly the size of
Texas, that it “seems incredibly dire. However, it is nothing more than a fraud”. Wile does
believe that there is a serious problem with “Great Pacific Patch” but that when people like
1
2
Charles Moore is a Sea Captain, researcher, and surfer.
Jay Wile is a textbook author and blogger.
Moore over exaggerate the real problem people will tend to downplay the severity of the
situation.
Whether debris started on the beaches from tourists, locals or eventually washed ashore from
another location it is getting harder to find a shoreline without evidence of plastic remnants.
Close to half the world’s habitants live on or near the ocean. This eyesore of trash filled beaches
can have an economic impact on tourism and the welfare of local communities (PlasticOceans).
“On Kamilo Beach in Hawaii there are now more plastic particles than sand particles until you
dig a foot down” states Charles Moore (qtd.in Grant).
Figure 2
Plastics never really fully decompose but they do break down into smaller pieces. Seabirds
and marine life mistake these small particles of plastic for their food. The ingestion or the
feeding to their young of these pieces of plastic can lead to death. Not only is plastic known for
leaching of chemicals itself but it also soaks up other toxic chemicals like a sponge. Larger
plastic materials have been known to strangle seabirds and fish.
Figure 3
Fish of all sizes mistake the particles for food. Research conducted in 2013 published by
Nature.com found plastic particles in the gut of several species of fish from around the globe.
The reports also found fish exposed to a marine-plastic treatment diet showed signs of stressed
livers and traces of hazardous chemicals (Chelsea M. Rochman).
Naturally, if the fish are ingesting hazardous chemicals transferred from plastics and humans
eat the fish will we be affected? Studies have shown Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a toxic
carcinogen is contained in some plastics. There have been other links to childhood development
problems, cancers, immune system complications, and birth defects to toxins found in plastics.
Rolf Halden, associate professor at Arizonan State University, concluded it impossible to
determine the adverse effects of plastic on humans impossible due to the global spread of no
unexposed subjects (qtd.in Andrews).
According to an article written by Jefferson Hopewell, Robert Dvorak, and Edward Kosior
four percent of our world’s oil and gas are used to produce renewable plastics. Plastics can be
recycled and can be considered reusable but our oil and gas supplies are not. Most of the plastics
produced are for disposable items and other short-lived products that are thrown out within a
year of production. This mixture of producing short-lived disposables with non-renewable
resources is not maintainable (Jefferson Hopewell).
Most of the research has concluded that cleaning the ocean of these toxic debris invaders is
not cost effective and highly challenging. The best thing for us to do now is slow down our
consumption of disposable plastics. One way is to say no to plastic shopping bags and use
reusable ones. Worldwide an estimated 500 to one trillion plastic bags are consumed each year
(Plastic Bag Statistics).
The ban on plastic bags and/or the charging for single-use plastic bags already seem effective
where they have been implemented. Ireland in 2002, with its 15 cent per bag nationwide
mandate, reduced its annual plastic bag use from an estimated 328 to 21 per person. The same
fate for plastic bag bans is slowly making its way in the United States of America. Most cities in
Washington and California have a ban or a fee on plastic bags. I know it will take some getting
used to if this would take into effect in more places. It is hard to always remember to put those
reusable bags back in your car to take to store. Over time it will become second nature and you
can feel better that you are helping to reduce the exponential abuse of disposable plastics that
have seem to dominate our world.
In conclusion, in order to reduce the predicted 2.2 billion tons of annual plastic waste, as
identified by the World Bank, we as global citizens need to take action today. Since the damage
is already too far along for an ocean wide cleanup we need to at least start to make an effort.
Start by bringing along your own reusable bags or pay a recovery fee for disposable bags. I came
across a quote from 3Daniella Russo in her article “Eliminating Disposable Waste Will Decrease
Waste” and found an appropriate final thought “Let’s add “Refuse” to the list of R’s: RefuseReduce-Reuse-Recycle.”
3
Daniella Russo is the executive director of Plastic Pollution Coalition
Work Cited
Andrews, Gianna. "Geology and Human Health." n.d. Professional Development for Geoscience Faculty.
Chelsea M. Rochman. "Scientific reports." 03 May 2013. Nature.com. Article. 26 03 2014.
Galleries: Midway Atol Birds. n.d. <http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au>.Image Figure 3
Grant, Richard. "The Telegraph." 26 03 2014. Telegraph.co.uk. 26 03 2014.
Greenberg, Neil. ""Captain Charles Moore"." Earth Island Journal (2009): 47-50. Interview.
"Greenpeace International." 2014. Greenpeace. 25 2 2014.
Jefferson Hopewell, Robert Dvorak and Edward Kosior. "Plastics recycling: challenges and
opportunities." 14 06 2009. Philosophical Tranasactions of the Royal Society. Article. 29 4 2014.
Mayasites Travel Services. n.d. 25 3 2014. <http://www.mayasites.com/tulum.html>.
Office of Response and Restoration. 24 03 2014. 26 03 2014. Image Figure 1
"Plastic Bag Statistics." n.d. Inspiration Green. 26 03 2014.
PlasticOceans. 2010. 27 2 2014.
Times, The Washington. "The Washington Times." 22 February 2010. The Washington Times. 27 3
2014..
Wile, Jay L. "The Magnitude of the Great Pacific garbage Patch is Overstated.". 10 January 2011. 27 2