The Microplastics and Lake Tahoe webinar was presented by Rachel Kozloski, UNR PhD student and Hannah Lukasik, UNR MS student, both with the Desert Research Institute. Watch the webinar recording here.
Plastics are man made through the distillation of crude oil and are mostly long chains of carbon and oxygen, which can be molded with additives added for strength, durability, and flexibility. In 2015, 350 million tonnes of plastic was produced, up from 200 million tonnes in 2000. Plastic is supply driven because we have so much of the required raw material from the distillation of crude oil. Plastic waste production was 353 million tonnes in 2019, with 22% of that waste being dumped into unregulated land fills, burned in open pits, or leaked into the environment. Only 9% of plastic is recycled, while 50% goes to regulated landfills.
Plastic can take 500 years to bio-degrade in the ocean, it harms wildlife through ingestion and choking, and toxins in plastics and chemical residues have health impacts on humans. Seafood is the largest food source exposed to microplastics.
Large pieces of plastic called macroplastics can break down to smaller pieces called microplastics which are less than five mm in size. Because they are so small, microplastics can be transported by the wind, through rain or snow, and then distributed throughout the environment. There are snow cores and water samplings throughout the basin testing for and finding these microplastics. In stormwater drainage throughout the basin 45 types of plastic particles were found in 7 different sites. Ski Beach Marina and south of Sand Harbor is where the highest level of plastic pollution was found.
How you can make a difference?
- Choose to reduce or eliminate single use plastic
- Wash synthetic clothing less
- Use high efficiency washing cycles, not delicate
- Clean out clothes dryer lint catchers with every load
- Watch for the Global Plastic Treaty in 2024
- Learn how to recycle in your area