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Plastic pollution is an exponentially growing problem in our society.
Millions and millions of plastic are produced each year, and most of these plastic items are dumped in landfills or oceans.
There are specific items that are polluting our planet incredibly much.
Every one of us is a part of this problem and the individual decision of just 1 person can make a difference in the long run.
Plus, think about it – if you try to lower your waste, your actions can affect your relatives or friends. And like that, one person can spread a lot of information and affect a lot of people. Which is an important aspect of the ”zero waste” movement!
Now, we will observe the top 15 items that are polluting our landfills, oceans, and also being dangers for both animals and us.
For each item, you can find easy swaps and sustainable alternatives that won’t harm you, the planet, or the animals.
(we will observe these easy SWAPS in detail HERE!)
Source: Our World in Data
The TOP 15 Items That are Polluting Our Planet
1) Food wrappers/containers
Nowadays, almost everything in the supermarkets contains some plastic packaging.
What’s more, there is a rising concern about the possibility of releasing undesirable chemicals from plastic materials into food products.
They also add different substances into plastic items to increase the life of the plastics which are not necessarily safe.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
Buy in bulk in reusable containers
Buy food from a farmers market in your bags & containers
Choose items in packaging that is not dangerous to your health or nature: glass packaging, aluminum packaging – both of which are 100% recyclable
2) Bottle/Container caps
Did you know that, in just one year, more than 480 billion plastic drinking bottles were sold, across the globe?
For example, one of the reasons why people buy water in plastic bottles is because they believe that the quality is higher and the water is cleaner.
However, that’s not exactly the truth. In truth, most of the bottled water is tap water that was glorified.
Furthermore, water bottles contain chemicals which are not the healthiest.
Let’s not forget to mention the bottle caps.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, they are among the top 5 items found during beach cleaning and beach litter around the world.
Beyond that, more than 20 million bottle caps and lids were found, over the last 30 years, during beach cleaning activities around the world.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
reusable water bottle
choose drinks in a glass of aluminum bottles
3) Plastic bags
Worldwide, we consume around 160,000 plastic bags, a second!
What’s worse, less than 1 percent are recycled. Plus, around 10% of this plastic waste goes to the oceans, which affects hundreds of species.
Producing plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both of which are non-renewable resources.
The materials needed to create this plastic item produces a lot of pollution, just during the manufacturing process. What’s more, the energy and the transport, need for disposable bags create even more global warming emissions.
So, plastic bags don’t just harm the environment, once we throw them away. They create damages along the whole production way.
A plastic bag cannot break down completely. It takes around 500 years to degrade in a landfill, but they don’t disappear.
Instead, they photo-degrade, meaning that they become microplastics, that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
always use a reusable bag
4) Straws, stirrers
In theory, they are recyclable, but that doesn’t mean they are recycled.
Usually, straws end up in landfills or our oceans. When they end up in the ocean, straws are having an enormous negative impact on marine life.
Just in the US, over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used every day.
Probably you’ve seen it, but in case you haven’t, check this shocking video, demonstrating how a simple straw can cause horrible things.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
reusable staws from BAMBOO, GLASS or STAINLESS STEEL
biodegradable straws from PAPER, HAY (WHEAT)
5) Beverage bottles
A million plastic bottles are sold around the world. And that is
every
single
minute.
This demand is equivalent to about 20,000 plastic bottles, every second.
Click here to see a visualization of the world’s addiction to plastic bottles.
Between 5 and 13 million tonnes of plastic finds a way into our oceans, and it is eaten by fish, sea birds, and other sea species.
According to research, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050.
The estimated decomposition rates for plastic bottles is 450 years.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
reusable water bottle
choose local companies and drinks in a glass bottle or aluminum can, plus always recycle the bottle/can
6) Utensils
Did you know that plastic utensils and cutlery are having a massive impact on the planet, even before they are used and thrown away?
That’s right.
Utensils require a lot of energy, plus, they emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, during the production. Once it’s emitted, it combines with other dangerous substances, which are creating destructive climatic changes.
Around 40 BILLION plastic utensils are produced each year, and that’s just in the US.
It gets even worse! For example, India produces 129 billion of utensils, that end up in the landfills.
The recycling rates are close to nonexisting, so most of it ends in our oceans and landfills. Oh, also inside different animals.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
reusable cutlery set from BAMBOO or STAINLESS STEEL
spork
biodegradable wooden utensils
7) Cups / Plates (styrofoam)
Fact:
Styrofoam is made by #6 plastic which contains ”styrenes,” and it’s known as hazardous substances.
Styrofoam contains also benzene, which is another hazardous chemicals.
Inhalation or ingestion can cause dizziness, headaches, vomiting, and unconsciousness in humans.
To make matter worse, cups and plates made from styrofoam involve chemicals of serious concern in EVERY manufacturing step.
When it’s in contact with heat, or any liquid substance, it leaches into the food/drink.
But we won’t stop here. It’s not only bad for your body, but it’s hazardous for our planet, too.
The simple truth is that styrofoam is non-biodegradable and seems to last for quite some time.
In theory, it is recyclable, but a meager amount is actually recycled.
Americans alone throw away 25 billion polystyrene coffee cups a year.
Warning:
The next time you drink or eat from styrofoam, remember that EPA has classified benzene as a Group A, known human carcinogen.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
reusable container or/and stainless steel coffee mug
plant-based & biodegradable cups and plates
edible cups and plates
8) Cigarette butts
You may think that these small butts waste is not that harmful, but the truth is that they aren’t just litter.
They are responsible for:
– damaging habitat and ecosystems
– starting destructive fires
– poisoning both wildlife and humans
– plus, they cost lots of money for cleanup and disposal (almost $11.5 billion annually)
To make things worse, tobacco products are the largest volume (38%) of litter.
5.5 trillion (5,500,000,000,000!!!) cigarettes are consumed globally every year. Do you want to know where most of it is going? – in our oceans.
Lastly, check this shocking statistic;
Tobacco kills 5.4 million people a year. The estimation is that this number will increase to more than 8 million a year by 2030.
Smokers don’t damage only the planet, the animals, and the people around them, but most certainly, tobacco users also kill themselves. And what for?
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
plant-based biodegradable cigarette filters
e-cigarettes can certainly cut down on cigarette butt pollution (they are a better alternative, as long as they are disposed of properly!)
9) Plastic Lids
Similar to cups and plates from styrofoam, plastic lids include chemicals of serious concern in EVERY manufacturing step and their environmental persistence is high.
They have a high potential to accumulate toxic chemicals in the environment, too. Plus, they don’t have a recycling system.
Most coffee cup lids cannot be recycled, and because of the material they are made of, there is a possibility to leach dangerous toxins in the coffee.
This component can leach not only harmful chemicals but also increase the risk of cancer.
So think about that the next time you order a coffee in a cup, with a lid.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
replace with reusable coffee cup
10) Take away containers
Takeaway food containers are having a growing and quite negative environmental impact.
A new study calculates that 2025 million takeaway containers are being used in Europe, for one year.
The problem is that the way to recycle disposable takeaway containers is not efficient. Furthermore, very low amounts are recycled.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
whenever you can, take your reusable containers
plant-based biodegradable takeaway containers
11) Balloons
The balloons that are released, return to our planet as dangerous litter.
They are deadly and dangerous polluters, that can be mistaken for food and eaten by animals.
Balloons are killing animals constantly and cause serious power outages. They easily move thousands of miles and pollute even the most isolated and natural places.
Unfortunately, latex balloons are the type of plastic, that is most commonly found in the stomach of dead animals.
A report of coastal cleanups concluded that from 2008 to 2016 almost 300,000 balloons were found, just along the U.S. beaches.
That’s over 31,000 balloons per year.
Furthermore, the term biodegradable is hugely misleading, so ballons that are labeled as “Biodegradable latex” are not a better alternative, too.
Latex claiming to be ‘biodegradable’ still won’t degrade for at least a few years. And guess what – that’s plenty of time to do as much harm as a regular balloon.
Franky, about 20-29% of the public participates in events release helium balloons, but I’m sure you can agree with me that this doesn’t make any sense anymore.
Balloons may be a small part of the more significant issue of plastic pollution. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t ignore the negative impact of them.
Simply choosing better alternatives and raising awareness can make a huge difference.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
research for environmentally friendly alternatives
12) Other plastic jugs / Containers
Frequently, they contain several different plastics, and in general, are recycled very rarely.
It can be plastic containers, typically storing liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink.
The fact is that more than 99% of the plastics are produced from chemicals received from oil, natural gas, and coal, which are non-renewable resources.
A considerable amount of these plastic containers, or to be exact the unbelievable 8 million tonnes of plastic, end up in the world’s oceans every year.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
use your reusable containers and buy in bulk
try to experiment and create your product
13) Cups (hard plastic)
Another type of plastic, that includes chemicals of high concern in EVERY manufacturing step. To make it worse, environmental persistence and the potential to release toxic chemicals in the environment are very high.
And by now, we figured that most plastic items never fully disappear; they just get smaller and smaller.
So, they will just stay on the earth for a very long time, just getting tinier.
So next time you eat meat or fish, remember that many of these tiny plastic particles are swallowed by farm animals or fish who mistake them for food.
And that’s how they find their way over your dinner plates.
But that’s not all.
Just Starbucks, which is probably one of the biggest coffee company in the world, produces 4 billion coffee cups each year.
This new “to-go” coffee culture seems like nothing. However, it is a big chunk of the problem.
And since such cups are lined with plastic inside, they are not recyclable, and they end in the landfills and oceans.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVES:
get reusable cups, and use them when needed
14) Personal care products
Deodorants, shampoos, conditioners, makeup, and a bunch of other personal care products are coming in hard plastic cases.
Above all, there is a common ingredient in most shampoos, lotions, deodorants, etc. called siloxane.
The emissions of this chemical are comparable in magnitude to the emissions of major components of vehicle exhaust, such as benzene.
Simply said, they did a bunch of research, so in the end, they concluded that a simple ingredient in our everyday cosmetics could cause pollution.
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
choose eco-friendly products in eco-friendly packaging (glass, aluminum)
try to recreate products, by using a few simple ingredients (such as deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.)
Related post: Ultimate Beginners List of 142 Zero Waste Swaps
15) Cigarette Lighters
Like if the cigarette butts aren’t enough… Pollution from cigarette lighters exist.
It is one of the common component, found inside animals, such as albatross.
For a piece of horrible evidence, check this picture that shows a lot of plastics, as well as cigarette lighters inside of the albatross’s dead body.
And that’s not all.
An average lighter release about 0.25g of carbon dioxide, per minute, used.
Plus, a lighter often is made of nylon plastic, and considering the butane fuel inside, lighters aren’t “carbon neutral.”
EASY SWAP / BETTER ALTERNATIVE:
rechargeable lighters
find eco-lighters
All in all
by avoiding these polluting items, you will and you can make a difference.
It all depends on your mindset and how much you want to make a positive change in your life.
The truth is that switching to the more sustainable alternatives won’t happen overnight, so keep that in mind.
Instead of trying to change everything at once, start making small and gradual changes.
With time you will see that the changes are so much easier than you think!
