I. Introduction
a. In an estimated 32 years, according to a 2016 report from the World Economic Forum, the ocean will have more plastic than fish. Everyone uses plastic in some way shape or form, it’s difficult not to because it’s everywhere in our daily lives. Restaurants, grocery stores, offices, schools, chain stores, etc. hand plastic out like candy. Over the year’s plastic has infected our environment; humans are outraged and trying everything they can to get rid of this terrible problem.
II. Body Paragraph
a. In 1967, the global primary production of plastics amounted to around 23 million tons (Mt), but this has risen to about 407 Mt in 2015, which is an annual growth rate of 8%. As of 2015, 44.8% of all plastic resins were used for packaging purposes, 18.8% used by the building and construction industry, 34% are used as plasticizers, 28% as fillers, 13% as flame retardants, 6% as antioxidants, 5% as impact modifiers, and another 5% as heat stabilizers. The total mass of plastics ever made amounts to 8.3 billion tons, mainly derived from natural gas and crude oil. Humans are exposed to all of the harmful chemicals in plastic through inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin or eye. When humans are exposed to these chemicals daily, it is typically within safety limits; but when animals are exposed to plasticizers, they may experience developmental defects.
b. The United States makes a significant contribution to marine plastic pollution, but it’s only twentieth on the list of coastal nations that produce the most plastic waste from land. One of the major drivers of this trend in developing countries is the very rapid growth of “megacities,” which are urban areas that have a population of over 10 million.
III. Body Paragraph
a. In the U.S. alone, people throw out 12 million pounds of plastic straws each year; these straws are so light that many end up blowing right out of the trash and into our oceans. Birds, fish, and other animals will mistake these straws for food or swallowing them by accident, causing the animals to die. Straws have been stuck in a turtle’s nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. There is an estimated 1 million sea animals killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash.
IV. Body paragraph
a. U.S. lawmakers and foodservice operators have begun adopting eco-conscious policies and fostering a changeover that’s already at warp speed in international markets. Restaurants are beginning to distribute single-use, nonbiodegradable versions both voluntarily and under threat of sanction. One of the most popular restaurants, Starbucks, has just announced that it would stop offering plastic straws worldwide by 2020. That may seem like a small change, but it will have a massive effect on our pollution problem. This change has started a ripple effect in the restaurant community, in New York, over 130 independent restaurants have begun providing customers with paper, wood or metal straws in exchange for the plastic version. The New York City Council has hopped on the bandwagon of alternative straws, they are even considering a measure that would levy fines starting at $100 on restaurants that provide plastic straws. Rafael Espinal introduced the proposal stating, “It’s no secret we have a plastic problem,” The alternative straw plan has spread across the country in New York, Portland, Ore; San Francisco, San Diego; Charleston, S.C.; Malibu, Calif; Miami; Seattle; even to Vancouver, British Columbia.
V. Conclusion
a. Plastic is slowing climbing to be one of the most pollutants in our world, killing our wildlife and could soon one day start killing us. It’s hard to break our habit of using plastic for almost everything, but we are making a start. It may be a small start, but a small start leads to a huge solution.
VI. Citations
a. Consumers Reach Their Last Straw With Plastic Pollution. CSP. 2018;29(10):72. http://ezproxy.uky.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b9h&AN=131340408&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed October 31, 2018.
b. TIBBETTS, J. H. Managing Marine Plastic Pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives, abr. 2015. v. 123, n. 4, p. A90–A93. Disponível em: <http://ezproxy.uky.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=8gh&AN=102123081&site=ehost-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 31 out. 2018.
c. RHODES, C. J. Plastic pollution and potential solutions. Science Progress, 1 set. 2018. v. 101, n. 3, p. 207–260. Disponível em: <http://ezproxy.uky.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmedm&AN=30025551&site=ehost-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 31 out. 2018.
d. Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? Plastic straws make drinking fun. But they’re harming animals around the world. Storyworks, dez. 2017. v. 25, n. 3, p. 26. Disponível em: <http://ezproxy.uky.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=126281392&site=ehost-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 1^o^ nov. 2018.