Fishing for Plastic 

Imagine casting your line out on the ocean expecting to reel in a big fish but instead you reel in a hook full of plastic bags.  That image is becoming more real with every passing day.  By 2025, according to the latest projections based on our current rate of plastic use, our oceans will contain 1.1 tons of plastic for every 3.3 tons of fish.  This means the ocean will have more plastic by weight than fish.  The situation is critical and it demands an immediate response. 

Recycling and Environmental Impacts 

Our ability to recycle materials globally has increased significantly over the past two decades however the recycling of plastic packaging remains around 14% worldwide. This number is very low in comparison to the recycling rates of other materials such as paper, which is 55%, iron at 70% and steel at 90%. In fact, 95% of short or one-time use plastic are not recycled and this not only creates ocean pollution it means there is a global economic loss of between $80 and 120 billion dollars a year.   The problem with ocean plastic pollution is that unlike other waste, plastic is built to last for long periods of time and does not dissolve over time like other non-plastic waste. Ocean plastic harms marine life and affects our food supply. 

Taking Action 

The Ellen MacArthur foundation recommends several steps be taken to improve plastic waste problems.  First steps include increased funding for educating the public about the necessity of recycling all plastics.  Another step is to make more investments into solutions that will reduce plastic waste leakage and to support new legislation that will set out and enforce new global plastic recycling standards. 

The state of California is the first US State to ban single use plastic bags like you find in grocery stores.  The ban was passed in 2014 but delayed until November of this year because of lobbying. The important step is that legislators have shown a strong commitment to reducing plastic waste. It is the hope that other states will follow suit so that we can help protect our oceans and marine life. 

Conclusion 

Plastic is a highly pliable material and it can be recycled and re-used in many different ways. It is our responsibility to see that we recycle our plastic waste and keep it out of the oceans because the environmental impacts to our water and marine life can devastate the oceans and our food supply for future generations.