Why It Matters…

1. Plastics are low cost, highly manufactured items – in part, due to a government subsidized fossil fuel industry.

2. Numerous products are made from plastic; many make life convenient and easy.  

1. Society uses so many disposable plastics (even though the virgin materials – fossil fuels – took millions of years to form). This creates massive amounts of non-biodegradable waste and devalues natural resources.

2. Single use plastics are not sustainable; these materials promote wasteful lifestyles and create massive garbage that affects poorer communities around the world the most.

3. Plastic waste affects all ecosystems around the world. Microplastics have been found at the bottom of the oceans and the top of mountains.

4. Many single use plastics are not recyclable. Plastics, in general, are downcycled and eventually become plastic waste.

5. The cheap prices of single use plastics do not consider the price of the waste.

1. It is now well known that micro and nanoplastics are commonly released from plastic materials. Most bodies of water contain nanoplastics and small microplastics.

2. Plastics contain chemical additives. Currently, over 16,000 chemicals are used in different plastics, many of which are considered toxic or cancer-causing. Many are known to leach from plastic materials, but companies are not required to disclose this information.

1. Reducing single use plastic provides a great opportunity to help the community, and show visible care for the environment and human health.

2. Money savings (reduce materials, garbage, positive attention, etc.)

Most of the waste ends up in landfills. Some is incinerated, but this process releases harmful air pollutants. Less than 9% of plastic materials are recycled. The recycling process for plastics is mostly a downcycling process. Eventually these materials become untenable garbage.

1. Plastic materials are turned into something with less ability to be recycled again (downcycling). This is widely viewed now as less of a solution to plastic waste.

2. While less recyclable plastic is shipped abroad now, some is transported to poorer countries with substandard waste management. This is part of the reason for the immense plastic waste in our oceans.

3. We currently do not have a viable plan to deal with plastic waste. Most cannot be recycled and turns into problematic waste.

Plastics are cheap and convenient and have been adopted across the spectrum.

YES! People learn from government bans and adapt to using different materials and reuse of materials.

1. A study was released in April 2024: “Protecting the Developing Brains of Children from the Harmful Effects of Plastics and Toxic Chemicals in Plastics”

2. There is a growing number of human health/systems studies linking plastic particles (micro and nanoplastics) and their additives to negative health outcomes. A publication on the threat to cardiovascular health was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2024. This field of study is expanding.

1. Plastics are not decomposable (not nature compatible). Therefore, the amount of plastic waste will continue to increase.

2. Plastics are NOT well recycled and most cannot be recycled.

3. All plastics release micro and nanoplastics; these are part of our living sphere.

4. We have no solutions for the immense amount of plastic waste worldwide.

5. Plastic waste is killing wildlife and affecting human health.

1. Plastics are made from fossil fuels; these took millions of years to form and should be valued!

2. Manufacturing also requires mining and transportation, which are highly polluting.

1. Currently, the prediction is that plastic production will continue to rapidly rise.

2. Approximately half of all manufactured plastics were made in the past 15-20 years. Therefore, young people are exposed to these materials (micro and nanoplastics and chemical additives) far more than older generations.

3. The plastic industry is trying to portray an image of clean plastic collection and use, while it builds more manufacturing facilities going forward.