The Problem

• The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 780,000 tons of plastic and polystyrene cups and plates were discarded in 2008.
• The Container Recycling Institute claims that 2.81 million juice boxes were sold in the U.S. in 2006.
• A independent study done in June of 2010 by the Environmental Law Foundation found toxic levels of lead in more than 40 different juices and juice boxes.
• The Environmental Protection Agency estimated 3,960,000 tons of plastic bags, sack and wraps were produced in 2008. Of those, 3,570,000 tons (90%) were discarded.
• This is almost triple the amount discarded the first year plastic bag numbers were tracked(1,230,000 tons in 1980).
• Annual worldwide production and use of plastic material has rocketed from 5 million tons in the 1950s to 100 million tons in 2000.
• Estimates by the BBC and CNN claim that anywhere from .5% to 3% of all bags winds up recycled.
• In good circumstances, some plastics will take more than 20 years to degrade. In less ideal circumstances (land fills or as general refuse), plastic refuse will take more than 1,000 years to degrade.
• The extremely slow decomposition rate of plastics means they will drift on the ocean for untold years.
• A U.N. study from 2006 stated that every square mile of the ocean has 46,000 pieces of floating plastic in it.
• The same study also stated that 10% of the plastic produced every year worldwide winds up in the ocean. 70% of which finds its way to the ocean floor, where it will likely never degrade.
• Plastic cutlery is non-biodegradable, can leach toxic chemicals when handled improperly, and is widely used. Worldcentric.org estimates 40 billion plastic utensils are used every year in just the United States. The majority of these are thrown out after just one use.

The Impact

• In the statistical breakdown of a 2008 cleanup by the Ocean Conservancy, numbers were kept on 43 different types of refuse. Cigarette butts were the most common. Plastic bags came in second. Food wrappers and containers were a close third.
• When plastics break down, they don't biodegrade, they photodegrade. This means the materials break down to smaller toxic fragments which contaminate soil, waterways, and animals upon digestion.
• Refuse plastic absorbs pre-existing organic pollutants, including Bisphenol A (BPA) and polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs).
• The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry has this to say about PCBs: "Animals that ate food containing large amounts of PCBs over short periods of time had mild liver damage and some died. Animals that ate smaller amounts of PCBs in food over several weeks or months developed various kinds of health effects, including anemia; acne-like skin conditions; and liver, stomach, and thyroid gland injuries."
• One study involving the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction and a National Toxicology Program (NTP) Expert Panel has reported on effects of BPA on development. They found cause for "some concern" related to behavioral, neural, and prostate function effects on mammals. On the NTP concern scale, "some concern" rates 3 out of 5.

The Solution

• The solution is to embrace a cultural shift away from use-and-toss mentality.
• Use durable, long-lasting containers that will last years rather than disposable sandwich wraps, chip bags, fruit salad or pudding cups.
• Bento boxes are a perfect example of a solution to disposable sandwich wraps; they are compartmentalized, allowing one to bring up to four separate dishes without using a single bag or wrap.
• Stop using disposable napkins and instead opt for durable, washable cloth napkins that won't wind up in a landfill.
• Use a high-quality water bottle to bring a drink instead of a disposable container (like a juice box). Thermal-insulated ones will even keep your drink as cold or as hot as when you packed it.
• Do not use paper bags. A study on the life cycle of three types of disposable bags (single-use plastic, paper, and compostable plastic) showed that both compostable plastic and paper bags require more material per bag in the manufacturing process. This means "higher consumption of raw materials in the manufacture of the bags...[and] greater energy in bag manufacturing and greater fuel use in the transport of the finished product. ...The added requirements of manufacturing energy and transport for the compostable and paper bag systems far exceed the raw material use in the standard plastic bag system." (from a peer reviewed Boustead Consulting & Associates report)