Polk State College

A Sea of Plastic Paper

Drew Koon
BSC1005C
Professor Maier
11/17/16
 Polluted beaches, disturbed animal habitats, and clogged drainage systems. These are just a

few of the harmful side effects that have resulted from plastic pollution. Plastic pollution consists

of bottles, food containers and a multitude of polymers that contain bisphenol A, also known as

BPA, in addition to primary and secondary microplastics. Measures must be taken to limit the

harmful side effects to both humans and wildlife, as this pollution grows out of control

worldwide. What kind of local regulations and environmental clean-up efforts are being utilized

to combat plastic pollution, a compound that can never be completely eradicated once produced.

This brings us to the questions: where did all this plastic originate, and why was it created?

Initially, when plastic was being developed about one hundred years ago, it seemed as if it was a

useful and innovative product that could have multiple purposes. At first, it was primarily used as

electrical insulation for wiring and fuse boxes, plug connections and glazing for greenhouses.

(Caliendo) As with many things in life and in scientific inventions, the devil is in the details.

With the growing development of plastic technology, bisphenol A was introduced. BPA is an

organic, synthetic compound, with the chemical formula of (CH3)2 C (C6HyOH)2 that belongs

to a group of the diphenl methane and bisphenols. It forms a colorless solid that does not resolve

in water. In use since the 1950s, created in some plastics or epoxy resins primarily for bottles,

but is also used in CDs, DVDs, and packaging. It is also used as a coding or lining on cans,

pipes and printed paper receipts. BPH contains estrogen-like hormones and is increasingly

raising health concerns for its possible effects on humans and animals who ingest it either orally

or dermally through skin contact. (Bisphenol A)

Bisphenol A has become an increasing concern because it has the ability to leach into food

from the epoxy resin coating inside cans and polycarbonate tableware. The amount of BPA

getting into our food depends upon a variety of factors and exposures. These include the
temperature of the contents or the BPA-laced product. Reportedly, BPA has been found in breast

milk, either from the mother having ingested it, from the container it is stored in or the baby

bottle presented to the child. This is the reasoning behind bans and advertising of BPA-free baby

bottles and other childrens products. BPA has also been found in humans based on tests by the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the sample rate of ninety-three percent out of

two thousand five hundred and seventeen urine specimen tests. This helps confirm that BPA is

indeed being consumed and in contact with humans. (Bisphenol A (BPA))

Primary and secondary microplastics are permeating our environment, killing wildlife

species and marine life. Microplastics are categorized into two forms: primary microplastics,

mainly used in cosmetics and personal care items, such as scrubs and exfoliates. They are

comprised of tiny pellets and almost invisible pieces of plastic/microfibers used in plastics

production. The other form is secondary microplastics, these are plastic debris that break down

from larger plastic products when exposed to sunlight, weathering, and other decomposing

elements. This causes the plastic to fragment. (Microplastic Marine Debris) The state of Florida

has one of the longest coastlines in the United States. Located on the west coast of Florida,

Tampa Bay is building up a concerning amount of microplastic pollution. These concentrations

of toxic, tiny pieces of molded, polymer fodder, can cause illness and death to Floridas birds and

marine life. Its poisoning effects Floridas largest estuary and is leaving experts scratching their

heads on how to clean it up. The microplastic pollution is affecting not only Tampa Bay but

every single ocean and most other bodies of water around the world. So, what exactly is this

microplastic pollution? It consists of shreds and pieces of plastic that come from the decaying

remains of every kind of plastic we have manufactured over the past one-hundred years.

Scientists are not only concerned about the actual micro-pieces that collect in our waterways and
wash up on our beaches, but also the toxins they release into our environment as they continue to

break down and erode. (Pittman) These toxins are most notably, chemicals known as PCBs.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls, a group of manufactured organic chemicals that contain two

hundred and nine individual chlorinated chemicals, (known congeners). Concentrated PCBs are

oily, liquids or solids, colorless to light yellow with no known smell or taste. (Polychlorinated

Biphenyls (PCBs) and Your Health) So, where does the time, money and method of clean-up

come from? Clean-up is very time consuming and would involve thousands of man hours. It is

also an extremely expensive operation to mount, especially since the flow of plastic pollution

keeps coming and coming with no end in sight.

The last issue to address is how do the legal rights of states and local communities become

an issue when trying to form laws to combat plastic and other forms of pollution. Legality and

jurisdiction always create issues of enforcement, as no one lives in their own bubble. With travel

and commerce being mobile, how do you keep the banned or regulated materials from coming

into your town or community? Higher taxes and punitive measures seem to do little to curb the

continuous flow of plastic from place to place via wind and waterways. I believe increased

education on the issues surrounding plastic and other forms of pollution are more sound means

of developing ideas to control and manage the problem than bans on products. Often, banning

products creates underground markets and the value of these products increase, as well as their

demand, much like the approach we have taken dealing with use and sales of tobacco products.

The use of tobacco products has significantly dropped over the past forty-nine years, as a result

of strong education and social pressure that began in the mid-1960s. Studies indicate that

tobacco usage, from 1965-2014, went from forty-three percent of the population to only fifteen

percent of the population reporting continued use. (Trends in Current Cigarette Smoking Among
High School Students and Adults, United States, 19652014) As a result of strong, ongoing

education of the general public on the health concerns of tobacco use, most people believe

smoking to be unacceptable, as well as limited in most public institutions and private businesses.

Overall, we can see all of the many damaging effects that plastic pollution has on, not only

our environment but both our species and forms of wildlife as a whole. This assignment sparked

my curiosity as to what exactly happens to the items placed in the recycling bin in my own

home? I contacted the solid waste management department of Lakeland and they referred me to

Republic Services-MRF. I learned that once the materials have been sorted into various

categories, some are locally recycled into new materials from cardboard, metal, and paper.

However, plastics are a delicate matter. Non-food use containers are sold to outside vendors for

recycling, contaminated food use plastics often end up in the local landfill. The answer regarding

food-use plastics seemed confusing to me. I asked why do we put them in the recycle bin and

then they are not being recycled? I learned that it is due to the inability to remove and

decontaminate the plastic from the food residue, and therefore it cannot be recycled locally.

Demand for food-use plastics is minimal due to high costs of cleaning it prior to being able to

recycle it. Mr. Marcelo Giangreco of Republic Services explained, Customers do not properly

clean plastic food containers prior to putting them in the recycle bin. These containers then just

become added to the landfill. Mr. Giangreco went on to further explain that educating the public

on the proper use of recycling bins is an ongoing problem/battle that is costly. People do not

want to pay more tax dollars to cover more education and we cannot absorb the additional costs

to our business. The problems surrounding the issue of what to do about plastic pollution are a

matter of worldwide importance and does not appear to have any real solutions in the near future.
I, however, I am hopeful that we have the technology, motivation, and motivation to keep

searching for solutions.

Bibliography

Caliendo, Heather. "History of BPA." Packaging Digest. Packaging Digest, 28 June 2012. Web. 17 Nov.

2016. http://www.packagingdigest.com/shipping-containers/history-bpa

"Bisphenol A." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

"Bisphenol A (BPA)." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 18

Nov. 2016. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/

"Microplastic Marine Debris." Https://marinedebris.noaa.gov. Marine Debris Program | Office of

Response & Restoration | National Ocean Service, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/MicroplasticsOnePager_0.pdf

Pittman, Craig. "'Microplastics' Imperil Marine Life in Tampa Bay, Worldwide." Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Bay Times, 14 June 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/microplastics-imperil-marine-life-in-tampa-

bay/2184411

"Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Your Health." Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Your

Health. Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 29 Apr. 2016. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/environmental/pcb-fish.htm

"Trends in Current Cigarette Smoking Among High School Students and Adults, United States, 1965

2014." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Mar.

2016. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/tables/trends/cig_smoking/