By Bob Suchanek
In 2017 an EPA workshop was convened to identify and prioritize the risks that microplastics (pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters across) pose to the environment and human health. These small particles are tiny enough to be consumed by creatures as small as plankton and may have absorbed or contain chemicals that are toxic or disruptive to biological systems.
Plastics were a 20th century revolution. From Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic created in 1907, to the colorful ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic used in 3D printers, the plastic revolution has transformed the things we make and use. However, the 20th century revolution has become a 21st century disaster and created a “planet plastic” with massive environmental contamination in evidence everywhere.
In 2017 the ecologist Roland Geyer and his associates estimated that about 8,300,000,000 metric tonnes (18 trillion pounds) of plastic have been produced by the world's plastics manufacturers. Roughly 79% of this ended up in landfills or the natural environment and about a third of that may enter soils or aquatic ecosystems.
Microplastics are formed by the disintegration of plastic products into smaller and smaller pieces. They are also manufactured purposefully for various uses, including hand cleansers and air blasting scrubbers. Estimates suggest that trillions of individual pieces of microplastics are in the world's oceans.
Minnesota's rivers and lakes are contaminated with microplastics. The University of Minnesota Duluth has confirmed their presence in western Lake Superior and a National Park Service study of samples from the Namekagon, St. Croix, and Mississippi Rivers found microplastics in every water, sediment, fish, and mussel sample collected.
As Sierra Club Stewards we understand that identifying environmental problems is just the beginning of our efforts. We are all complicit in the creation of our plastic infested world and also responsible for fixing the mess.
What should be done? Ideally, the production of new plastic should stop. However, this is unlikely and, in certain instances, potentially harmful. The coronavirus pandemic, for example, highlights the essential role that some plastics are playing in promoting human health and well being. Although the indiscriminate production and disposal of plastic is environmentally unsound, when produced and recycled properly plastic can enable sound and sustainable production of life saving devices rapidly and inexpensively. Masks, ventilator parts, gowns, patient-specific medical devices and more are being produced using 3D printing technology to meet growing demands.
On the other hand, the plastics industry has taken advantage of the anxieties surrounding the global pandemic to advocate for environmentally unsound practices such as the continued use of disposal plastic bags in grocery stores. As Ivy Schlegel of Greenpeace points out, even though recent studies have proven that the virus lives longer on plastic than on other surfaces, states and stores across the country are rolling back their plans to eliminate single-use plastic bags in order to create the illusion of a “safer” shopping experience.
It is crucial that we consumers continue to research, recognize, and understand the true impact of plastics so that we can better manage the ways we use it, thereby mitigating its impact on the environment and reducing its production.
In 2019 the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $800,000 ($400,000 each for FY20 and FY21) to the Minnesota Department of Health to work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in sampling surface and ground water sources for an assessment to evaluate potential risks from microplastics and smaller plastic particles. The goal is to identify appropriate follow-up actions.
At the national level the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, introduced in the United States Senate by Tom Udall and Jeff Merkley, provides forward thinking initiatives to improve recycling efforts, contain waste, and reduce production. These initiatives include requiring plastic producers to design, manage, and finance recycling programs, creating a national refund program for all beverage containers, phasing out single-use plastic containers that can't be recycled, and protecting the ability of state and local governments to enact more stringent standards, requirements, and product bans.
Individuals should be encouraged to take matters into their own hands and select products that don't feed the pollution stream. Buy plastic products made from plastics that your local recyclers can use. Use glass containers. Think about how you might reuse an item rather than throwing it away. How about taking your own reusable drinking straws to restaurants? Be creative: reduce, reuse, recycle and share your concerns with politicians, retailers, friends, and family.
It's time for a plastics counter-revolution! Together, we can find ways to limit the plastic revolution's legacy of excess.