By H. PATRICIA HYNES
How can we reduce toxic plastic pollution, given it is everywhere and in everything from the peaks of the highest mountains and deepest depths of the sea to our internal organs, other parts of our body and breath? I ask this rhetorically given we must reduce plastic and quickly before we humans are overwhelmed by the health effects of its toxic chemicals, and before the fossil fuels used to create plastics push climate chaos to a point of no return. Already almost half the world’s population live in areas highly susceptible to climate crisis.
Plastic “garbage soup” is a serious hazard to marine life: fish and shellfish ingest tiny particles called microplastics and nanoplastics. And many marine animals, including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and sea turtles get tangled up in plastic fishing gear and other marine debris leading to injuries, starvation or drowning. We humans eat contaminated fish and shellfish and plastics are passed on to infants in the womb who are born pre-polluted.
As countries are moving toward electrification to replace their need for fossil fuels (the U.S. being king among the exceptions), Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest producer of single-use plastics, is planning to increase petrochemical production, mainly for plastics, by 80% by 2050. By 2060 the entire plastics industry projects to triple its current production of one-half billion tons per year (up from 2 million ton in 1950).
There are alternatives to using plastic, some easily affordable others more expensive and out of reach for people struggling in this regressive revival of the late 19th century Gilded Age. The National Resources Defense Council has provided a list of 10 ways to reduce plastic pollution from which I have selected four to start with.
One, wean ourselves off of single-use plastic: plastic grocery bags, disposable cutlery and plates, plastic straws, coffee lids, and clear plastic wrap, which transfers toxics from the plastic wrap to the food it touches. Use reusable cotton produce bags in the store and at farmers markets for vegetables and fruit. Bring your own garment bag to the dry cleaners, your own utensils for take-out food, and your own coffee mug anytime you buy coffee.
Two, stop buying bottled water. Carry a reusable bottle and fill it with your own tap water. In early 2024, scientists discovered an average of 240,000 pieces of tiny plastic in each liter of bottled water.
Three, use wooden cutting boards; they’re durable while plastic cutting boards may be a significant source of microplastics in our food.
And four, here is a motivational fact about plastic bags, to help strengthen our resolve. Five trillion plastic bags are used globally each year only to be replaced by these toxic bags each year, using oil and gas anew. Americans use an average of 365 plastic bags per year and are the largest consumer of single-use plastic bags in the world while the people of Denmark use four per year. Support or introduce a tax or, better yet, a ban on single-use plastic bags that hundreds of cities, counties, and twelve states have implemented.
Other recommendations
Choose natural fiber clothing made from cotton or hemp because synthetic clothing made from polyester and nylon can leave microplastics remnants in air, on skin and in water supplies. A load of synthetic clothing may discharge up to 1.5 million synthetic microfibers into waterways. Some researchers think that synthetic textiles contribute up to 35% of microplastic pollution.
Use paper with no plastic coating, as was used to package food in bygone days and request where possible that your fresh cut cheese and meats be wrapped in paper. When used, the paper can be recycled or composted.
Store food in metal or glass storage containers, now available at mainstream food stores and online.
Use a powder for dishwashing and laundry and a bar of soap for handwashing instead of plastic containers of liquid dishwashing and laundry detergents and handwashing liquid .
All of these suggestions for finding available substitutions for plastic are “not a moment too soon for our plastic-choked planet.”
Unique among recent models of reducing exposure to plastic is a move toward natural playgrounds for children. Forty-two daycare centers in Finland have replaced plastic flooring, rubber mats, asphalt and gravel with natural materials including soil, sand, moss, plants, and sections of forest floor. Children were encouraged to interact directly with nature’s materials such as digging and playing in soil. Their immune systems were subsequently studied and researchers reported “stronger overall immune responses than in children in standard asphalt and plastic [playgrounds].” Many commented that what was once the norm — outdoor play with plants, grass, moss and soil should become the norm again.
A model to be replicated throughout the world.
Resources: NRDC https://www.nrdc.org/stories/10-ways-reduce-plastic-pollution; Free the Ocean https://www.freetheocean.com; Plastic Pollution Coalition https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/about; and Peter Kindfield. Explorations in Ecology: Playful Science-Rich Outdoor Activity for Children and Their Adults (Chelsea Green Publishing) 2026.
Pat Hynes is a member of the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice in Greenfield and a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom USA.