It’s true that many of us place our plastics in recycle bins. We assume that it gets sorted and reused. But only 10% of plastic is recycled, 90% finds its way into landfills where it can take 100-300 years to fragment.
Used plastics just don’t have much value. It is cheaper in most cases to source new plastics than to recycle them. Plastics break down in the environment, and their degradation products, such as bisphenol A (BPA), are even finding microplastics in human organs, known to interfere with human hormonal function.
So how do we solve the problem of removing the 24 billion pounds of plastic that flow into the oceans each year? Governmental legislation can address plastic pollution, Miami Beach has passed regulations to help cut down on plastic waste which includes; prohibiting the use of plastic bags in sidewalk cafe areas and banning plastic straws, plastic coffee stirrers.
And we as citizens of the planet Earth can make a difference in the environment by changing our habits by thinking reuseable;
- Plastic bags – bring a cloth tote bag to do your shopping. Tote bags save 520 plastic bags per person per year.
- Plastic straws – Stainless steel straws, bamboo straws are a great alternative, and best of all – choose to go straw-free!
- Coffee cups and lids – bring your own Porcelain or ceramic mug.
- Plastic cutlery – reusable bamboo utensils are easy, keep a spare in the office.
- Plastic plates – are cheap and easy but a glass or porcelain plate is much more elegant.
- Water bottle – use a reusable metal bottle that will keep it chilled too.
And please make a contribution to Plant a Billion Trees, a non-profit, just one young tree can absorb CO2 at a rate of 13 pounds per tree yearly. Brought to you by Plastic-free Sustainable Miami Beach Tour Company, an Official Partner with City of Miami Beach- PlasticFreeMB Initiative.
