So why should you try and cut down on plastic anyway? There are lots of reasons to ditch disposable plastic, but these are the two that I think are the most important.

1. Plastic is a non-renewable resource that never breaks down.

Unlike something like a piece of paper or a banana peel, plastic, once thrown away, does not biodegrade. Plastic is made of either oil or natural gas, neither of which are renewable resources. Plastic is a material that is designed to last for centuries, and we use it to package single use items. This is a huge problem. We keep producing more and more of it and throwing more and more of it away. Since it doesn’t break down, it just keeps piling up in our landfills and our oceans. When we run out of space, where will all our plastic garbage go?

But what about recycling?

Yes, some plastic is recycled. But not all. According to the EPA’s website, in 2010, the United States generated 31 million tons of plastic waste. But only eight percent of this was recycled. And even though we’re led to believe that recycling is green and sustainable, this isn’t entirely true. Plastic recycling is actually a very dirty process. A lot of the items we recycle contain toxic materials. (This goes for other stuff too, not just plastic.) Recycling perpetuates these materials. Although recycling creates jobs, the workers are exposed to these hazardous chemicals, as are the communities these recycling plants are located in. Recycling plants also use a lot of energy and a lot of water. Our goal should be to generate less waste, not to generate the same amount and recycle more of it. Most people have heard the slogan, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Unfortunately, our focus has been turned to recycling instead of reducing and reusing.

The plastic waste that doesn’t end up in the municipal waste stream and polluting the sides of the road often ends up in the ocean. This waste is swept into gyres, large systems of rotating ocean currents. There are five large gyres filled with plastic waste. The floating plastics that end up in the gyres are broken down into smaller particles by the sun and the waves. These small pieces are mistaken for food by birds and marine life, who ingest the plastic pieces. Once the animals consume too much plastic, they die. Animals also get plastic caught around their bodies, especially six-pack soda rings.

2. Plastic contains chemicals harmful to human health.

Plastic is either made of petroleum or natural gas. To obtain the desired texture, certain chemicals are added to plastic. Some of these chemicals cause adverse health effects. When these chemicals are present in the plastic packaging on our food, they can leach into the food and accumulate inside our bodies over time. One notorious chemical is bisphenol A (BPA). BPA was originally created as a hormone replacement therapy in the 1930s, but then it was discovered that it could be added to plastics to make them hard. BPA is present in #7 plastics and the epoxy resin lining food cans. (Not all brands use BPA to line their cans, but most do. Even if they don’t contain BPA, they’re still lined with plastic.) Some receipts are coated with BPA as well. BPA is a known endocrine disruptor. A recent study has linked BPA exposure to breast cancer.

Phthalates are another chemical commonly used in plastic food packaging. Phthalates are added to PVC (also known as vinyl) to give it a malleable texture. PVC is very commonplace, and includes things like plastic wrap, shower curtains, raincoats and children’s toys. Phthalates are also used in a wide variety of consumer products, from personal care products to printing inks. Phthalates, like BPA, are endocrine disruptors. To avoid phthalates, avoid #3 plastics and plastic wrap.

Other chemicals and additives in plastic include things like lead, cadmium, styrene, antimony, animal fat, antibacterial chemicals, flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. There are other chemicals and additives in plastic as well that we don’t know about since the plastics industry keeps them secret.

Although this is a bleak situation, you can do something about it! Every person who uses less plastic is making a difference. For more information, check out these websites.

• My Plastic-Free Life
• 5 Gyres
• Plastic Pollution Coalition
• The Plastic-Free Times
• Ocean Conservancy
• Stop Plastic Pollution