Many crafts made from recycled plastic materials look like they’ve been made of recycled materials, in my opinion. Crocheted plastic bag totes come to mind. Recently however, I found some amazing placemats woven of plastic bags and cotton thread.
Making these placemats takes talent, training and time. The weavers use large commercial looms, and train for years to learn the craft. A feat beyond most of us, but don’t despair. The average person may not have the time or ability to weave a placemat fit to use, but all of us can reduce our plastic waste if we’re motivated.
And as a member of the human race, we should all be motivated to kick the plastic habit. Since the advent of increased plastic production in 1950, we have produced 9.2 billion tons of plastic. Of that, more than 6.9 billion tons have become waste. And of that waste, a staggering 6.3 billion tons never made it to a recycling bin. That’s a lot of plastic and it’s ending up everywhere, including in us.
As a country we have an abysmal rate of recycling plastics – only 10 percent. Now that China refuses to accept our plastic waste, it’s piling up at alarming rates in landfills, trash heaps and finding its way into our waterways.
Plastic has been found in ocean creatures from the smallest, plankton, to the largest, whales. According to a recent National Geographic article, marine species of all sizes eat microplastics, the bits smaller than one-fifth of an inch across. As plastics remain in the ocean, they break down into tiny bits. Unfortunately, they do not entirely decompose for 450 to 1000 years. The decomposition rate for some plastics is unknown.
It stands to reason, if microplastics are found in fish and other animals we ingest, in water, beer and table salt, they should be found in us too. And, indeed, an initial survey of 8 people has confirmed just that.
It’s time to reduce our use of plastics and it’s not hard once you start. Here are some easy tips from National Geographic, which will save you money and the health of the planet we live on.
1. Give up plastic bags. It takes just a little bit of work to remember to take reusable bags into the store with you, but the rewards are incalculable. Have some fun and purchase hipster bags with clever sayings. Reusable bags should last you a year.
2. Pass up straws. Metal and glass straws (made of a special tough glass) can be purchased online, along with a cleaning brush. Keep some in your glove compartment or purchase the telescoping type that fits on a key chain.
3. Break the plastic bottle habit. Especially water bottles! Refillable water bottles are inexpensive and easy to refill.
4. Avoid plastic packaging when possible. This one can take a little time to find products that use less packaging, but they’re out there.
5. Recycle what you do use. We have a good recycling facility in Barton County. Unfortunately they do not take colored plastic at this time, which makes it more imperative to reduce use.
6. Don’t litter. This seems like a no-brainer but how many times do we see people just toss stuff out car windows?
Pam Martin is a program specialist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. She can be contacted at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center; call 877-243-9268 or email pam.martin@ks.gov.
