Plastic is ubiquitous and everlasting. The fastest growing component of California’s solid waste stream, and the number one category of material found littered on beaches and roadsides. And a series of new studies have implicated plastic litter as a serious threat to water quality and wildlife.
The implications of plastic disseminating throughout our world are only beginning to be understood in our time. However, its effects are already being felt in many spheres – in the economy, in the environment, and in our bodies.
Petroleum-based plastics are composed of very long chains of carbon polymers, bound tightly together at an atomic level. This structure gives plastic its famed strength, flexibility and endurance, making it popular for products and packaging. Unfortunately, it’s longevity also makes it a nightmare by environmental projections, especially as litter. In addition, while plastic use has grown exponentially, its recovery (recycling) level has remained unimpressive.
The 2003 Plastics White Paper by the California Integrated Waste Management Board states that plastics are the fastest growing segment of the waste stream. Currently, by volume, plastics constitute 17.8% of the material disposed of in state landfills, and next to paper, represents the second largest category of waste. It also pointed out that plastics recycling hovers around 5% – far lower than other material categories.
SOURCE: Californians Against Waste
