Plastics- Personal Waste Reduction and its Effect on the Oceans

Introduction- Over the course of the past eight weeks I have conducted a personal inquiry relating to personal trash production, reduction, and the effects of plastic trash in the ocean environment. During the course of this study I have done research looking at the specific effects of plastic waste in the ocean on a large scale, the effects on marine life and human health, and what specific techniques can help reduce personal trash production. 

My research question is this: What are ways that I can reduce my own plastic waste production at school through consumer choice and recycling, what are the benefits of this lifestyle, and how can plastic waste reduction and alleviation on a large scale reduce pollution in the environment?

Personal Scope

To begin this process I wanted to create a system that would allow me to collect data on the personal scale and also keep me accountable for my progress. Here I wanted hard qualitative data that I could use for analysis. So, every Saturday morning right before the trash was taken out I used a scale to weight my personal trash in my room, the recycling bin in my room, the kitchen trash that was shared between my three roommates and myself, and the kitchen recycling. The data for the eight week process is shown below, omitting weeks that I was travelling and unable to collect the data. Over the course of this period I implemented some of the personal trash reduction techniques that I discovered in my research.

The techniques that I researched and implemented were first introduced to me via a TEDx talk by Laura Singer concerning her zero waste lifestyle. Over the past three years she has produced only enough trash to fill a small mason jar.  A few of the steps for this lifestyle include purchasing at second hand grocery stores, farmers markets, and creating alternatives for disposable hygiene products such as toothpaste and shampoo. This can be achieved through buying ingredients in bulk and following simple recipes. It also entails not eating out at locations with disposable packing wrapping the food. It also entails  being conscious about the actions I am taking regarding waste production. By implementing these techniques and alternatives to disposable products I was able to significantly cut down on some of my trash production. This, in combination with being more careful about what I threw away, researching what truly was recyclable and what wasn't, and attempting to cut down on consumption all allowed me to more than half my personal waste production over the course of the eight weeks from 12 lbs at the start of the first week to only 5.5 lbs at the end of the last week. While I attempted many of the alternatives with varying degrees of success, I am demonstrating the three most successful alternatives on this blog so readers can see for themselves how simple these natural and package free alternatives are to make.

One of the points in the research that was stressed was replacements for everyday products. The recipes and alternatives for each are listed below.

Alternatives to Disposables

Deodorant

Deodorant is a necessary daily hygiene product. However, every roll on or spray deodorant comes in plastic packaging materials, and these contribute to waste. To make the deodorant alternative, combine two tablespoons of arrowroot powder, one tablespoon of baking soda, one tablespoon of coconut oil, and one tablespoon of shea butter. Melt the combination over a double boiler until liquefied. Then add any fragrance of choice. I chose lemongrass oil as I already had a container of it. Put mixture in a mason jar and refrigerate. Then simply apply with one's hand to use. This is a completely packaging free alternative, and is organic and free of other harmful additives such as parabens that are present in conventional deodorant. 

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is another everyday hygiene product that produces waste. It comes in disposable packaging and after everyday use the number of used tubes adds up. I found a recipe for toothpaste on trashisfortossers.com which is Laura Singer's blog about how to follow her zero waste lifestyle. To make the toothpaste one must combine 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 tablespoon baking soda, and 20 drops of peppermint essential oil. Stir the mixture together and it is ready for use. 

Grocery Shopping

While grocery shopping, it is easy to buy the produce that is packaged in plastic. It is everywhere, and easily available. However, buying these products in addition to using the plastic bags provided at the store results in a great deal of waste plastic being produced every time one goes shopping. The solution to this problem is using reusable shopping bags and locating a local farmers market to get fresh produce. I went to Clark's Park farmers market in Tempe on Saturday mornings after it opened at 8am.  In addition to having a great variety of fresh produce that was local and organic, and package free, there was a variety of food trucks selling hot food. This however is not the only farmer's market in Tempe, as there is Tempe Farmer's Market and Tempe Community Market as well which both sell fresh organic produce. 

Environmental Scope

After examining my trash production at a personal level and implementing several techniques to reduce it, I wanted to know what where the effects  of trash production on a larger environmental level, and what would be the environmental benefits of reducing our collective trash output.

I had heard that a great deal of the plastic waste that humans produce ends up contaminating the oceans and marine habitats. Therefore, I decided to focus my research on these areas by asking specific research questions pertaining to oceanic trash pollution and its effects.

-Question #1

How does trash produced by terrestrial sources end up contaminating the oceans and coastal areas?

The amount of plastic waste produced on land and put in landfills does not always stay there. In fact, with landfills that are within 30 miles of the coast, winds can pick up the top layer of landfill cells and blow it into the ocean. This also can occur by waterways farther inland that eventually empty out into the ocean. Trash produced on land contributes to roughly 80% of the litter found in the seas. The other 20% can be accounted for wastes from commercial fishing and shipping vessels. This, along with littering on the coastlines of majorly populated cities around the world and well traversed tourist areas, in addition to illegal dumping, and micro plastics from hygiene products that are too small to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants,contribute to the estimated 8-12 million tonnes of plastic that enter the ocean each year (Casson). Oceanic trash production includes all of the net activities that individuals do. This includes littering on or near coastlines, or putting trash in a landfill and having the top layer enter the sea.

Source:

Casson, L. (2017, August 23). How does plastic end up in the ocean? Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/blog/how-does-plastic-end-up-in-the-ocean/blog/60072/

-Question #2

What are the effects of plastics and micro plastics from land trash production in marine environments and on human health?

There are myriad negative effects of plastic entering the oceans on marine life, but many of the most fatal effects are getting wrapped in flexible or sheet like plastics where the animal cannot escape, and eventually will die. Another negative effect is the ingestion of plastic by fish , seabirds, and other marine life. There are toxic leachates from these plastics that once ingested, can have detrimental health effects and negative effects on the endocrine systems of these animals. (Weule) Eventually, if these fish or marine life that have ingested plastics are caught by humans in fisheries, these toxic leachates can be ingested by humans and negatively affect human health. These leachates have been known to disrupt the endocrine system in both humans and animals in marine habitats. In high enough doses, these leachates are extremely damaging to the hormone system and have the potential to be fatal (Weule).This is important for my main research question because it is crucial to know exactly what are the detrimental effects on a larger scale of our own personal plastic waste emission. Despite knowing that micro plastics and leachates are harmful for ocean ecosystems, knowing that the plastics going into the ocean have the potential to negatively effect human health from the ingestion of sea food may also motivate people to lessen their waste production.

Sources- 

Weule, G. (2017, February 27). Plastic and how it affects our oceans. Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-02-27/plastic-and-plastic-waste-explained/8301316

Data from San Diego Beach Cleanups. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/learn/fishable/marine-debris/data-from-san-diego-beach-cleanups

Reflection and Benefits of a Low Trash Lifestyle

After researching the large scale effects of trash production, how negative it can be for human and animal health, and researching and implementing techniques for my own personal trash production, I have learned a great deal about myself and the benefits of cutting down over the past eight weeks. As a sustainability student, I am concerned with the myriad issues that come from waste production and their environmental impacts and thought that as my own person I lived more responsibly in this aspect than others. However, after collecting my preliminary data on my trash production and trash type, I was forced to conclude that I really was no better than the average trash producer. It was definitely a challenge to reduce my consumption as there were times where my friends wanted to go out to eat at a certain place, or go shopping and I could not join them because I knew there would be packaging produced from doing these activities that would contribute to my waste emission. The research I did on the larger social dimension was easier than the personal challenge because that just involved me reading articles and recording data that was useful to my inquiry. I have been doing this in school for years now. However, limiting much own consumption was much more difficult but also much more rewarding because I could slowly see the tangible consequences of my efforts show themselves over the course of the multiple weeks. What I have learned about myself through this process is having a method, like weighing my trash, helps me keep myself accountable. If I do not have a method to keep myself accountable, I will most likely not succeed in whatever I am trying to achieve.

Over the past eight weeks I have also enjoyed the personal benefits of cutting down on consumption. The first was cost. I found that by trying to avoid prepackaged foods, I found myself eating out much less and spending less money overall on groceries as I was getting my food at the Clark's Park Farmers market. Being much more diligent about what I was buying also helped me really focus on the prices of produce when I was purchasing them as well. Beyond food, I also saved money on creating my personal hygiene products from scratch as the ingredients were not that expensive, and buying clothes second hand from thrift stores. By avoiding the packaging on new clothes and other products and by buying second hand, these options are often far cheaper than buying completely new, and I saved a great deal of spending money. The second tangible benefit I experienced was that I ate better. I did not have the option to buy prepackaged foods, so the food that I was getting at the Clark's Park market was locally grown, organic, and without pesticides. Because I was also eating a lot more fresh produce I wasn't eating foods as high in sugar or fat contents. Finally the third benefit I experienced was that I was happier. The thing that motivated me to do this research was that I saw the real impacts of my actions concerning my waste production and I wanted to not turn a blind eye to them. I have always cared about the environment and wished to make a positive impact. Over the past eight weeks I have been able to see the results of my efforts and live more in line with my personal values. I plan on continuing my efforts and furthering this inquiry in the months and years to come.

References

Casson, L. (2017, August 23). How does plastic end up in the ocean? Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/blog/how-does-plastic-end-up-in-the-ocean/blog/60072/

Weule, G. (2017, February 27). Plastic and how it affects our oceans. Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-02-27/plastic-and-plastic-waste-explained/8301316

Data from San Diego Beach Cleanups. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/learn/fishable/marine-debris/data-from-san-diego-beach-cleanups

“Why I live a zero waste life”(2015, May 27). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg