While sat having a coffee (not out of plastic cups of course), we got debating over who is responsible for sorting out the plastic problem. We (the public) have to reduce the amount of plastic were using. Thats fair enough, but our argument is this..
If the quantity of plastic is a serious threat to the human race, why doesn’t the government put strict laws in place to abolish or at least massively reduce it?
We came to a fairly quick conclusion..MONEY!
Think about all of the stuff made from plastic. Look around you and it’s almost guaranteed that something will be made from it. Could we live without it?
Lets look at some figures..
We got looking online to try and get an idea of how much money is generated through the manufacture of plastic. The figures are astonishing!
$200,000,000,000
You read it right! That’s 200 BILLION dollars!
So, while were rallying around doing what we can to reduce the plastic bags we use, the bottles we drink from, the containers our food is packaged in, there in the background are the huge factories still churning about millions of tonnes of plastic every month! How does that make sense? We have to stop using plastic bags, but they’re still making them!!
IF PLASTIC REALLY IS CAUSING SUCH DESTRUCTION TO OUR PLANET THEN STOP MANUFACTURING IT!!
Why is plastic harmful to humans?
We’ve all seen the video footage of the damage plastic is doing to our oceans. We’ve watched animals struggling to escape from it and it really is heartbreaking to watch. Whether animals are as important as human beings is personal preference and is a whole new subject to be covered, but what is the affect of all of this on the human race and is it really as dangerous as the media are stipulating?
Microplastics
Any plastic smaller than 5mm is classed as ‘micro plastic’. It is these that are causing the most harm to ourselves and all other living species around us. Humans are exposed to micro plastics everyday and the statistics on the damage that the micro plastics are doing to us are quite alarming.
Ingestion and Inhalation
Some micro plastics are so tiny that we are physically digesting them. We will be, on a daily basis, stalling tiny fragments of plastic that stem from all of the plastic items that we surround ourselves in everyday. Think about all of the plastic products we touch and then how often we touch our mouths or may not wash our hands before we cook a meal. All of these tiny pieces will accumulate in your body over time.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC)
These chemicals are commonly found in plastics. Research is showing that these chemicals are related to an increase in certain illnesses involving the development of hormones in our body. Traces have been found in breast milk which will possibly affect the growth and hormone patterns of new born babies and young people who have not fully developed yet can also be at risk.
Despite this, the manufacturing of plastic products still continue.Maybe we should all ask ourselves this..
AM I READY TO GIVE UP PLASTIC?
Have a serious think about it. What will you lose out on if plastic was abolished? Who is responsible for controlling the levels of plastic produced?
We don’t know how many people will read any of our blogs, but if you are reading this we would love to hear your thoughts on who you feel should be held accountable for the current pollution and damage caused by plastic. We understand that a sudden stop wouldn’t be possible but surely steps must be now considered in looking at how this problem can be dealt with.
What do you think? Are you ready to give up plastic?
