Disrupting Disposables The Drive to Banish Single-Use Plastics
by Yvette C. Hammett
U
niversities, sports There is momentum, ubiquitous throwaways arenas, restaubut it is challenging. have become a mainstay of rants and other news reporting, and studbusinesses are taking up ~Eric DesRoberts ies on how best to reduce the call to “disrupt disposthem through public policy ables” as part of a global effort to dramatiabound. A recent Canadian research paper cally cut down on single-use plastics. The in the Marine Pollution Bulletin explores environmental problems caused by those strategies such as bans, tax levies and
education. Experts agree that it is not just a litter problem, but a sobering matter of human and planetary health. As these plastics wind up in the oceans and landfills worldwide, they can languish virtually intact for up to 1,000 years, entangling and choking marine mammals and terrestrial wildlife. Or, they break into toxic microplastics that enter drinking water supplies, eventually ingested by humans. Because plastics are made from petroleum, their production also adds to greenhouse gases that contribute to the climate crisis. Two-pronged efforts by businesses and individuals to divert plastics from the waste system and replacing them with Earth-friendly alternatives will eventually pay off, experts say, but it will be a long and slow process. However, momentum is building, spurred by consumer demand and a growing number of enterprising businesses, organizations and academic institutions. At Penn State University, agriculture and biological engineering professor Judd Michael is working with sports facilities to lower both plastics use and littering; the initiative is working so well that their approaches may be taken up by other schools across the nation. “One of my projects is with NASCAR’s Pocono Raceway [also in Pennsylvania], where the owners of the track wanted to continue to make the venue more green,” he says. “There is zero waste in suites for that track, and they are initiating a compre-
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