Dènyèman, lè m te kòmande yon kafe glase nan yon restoran, mwen te remake yon pankat sou tab mwen an ki te ekri.” Ki sa ki manke nan bwè ou a? Gen yon rezon pou sa."
Mwen gade alantou e mwen remake ke okenn nan bwason ki sou plato gason an pa te gen pay plastik. Poukisa restoran mwen an ap fòse yon fen nan tradisyon ki gen laj sa a?
Entèdiksyon plastik yo tout raj kounye a. Gen kèk peyi ki te kòmanse mete lejislasyon sou entèdiksyon sou tout kalite plastik: kouver, boutèy, ak sache, ki souvan itilize yon fwa epi answit jete. Palman an Ewopeyen an te siyen yon akò pwovizwa Mèkredi pou entèdi 10 kalite plastik yon sèl-itilize - ki gen ladan kouver plastik ak pay - pa 2021, Syans Popilè rapò.
We started using plastic in the late 19th century after celluloid was invented. While plastics began to be widely used by consumers in the 1950s, it’s only in the last 20 years that single-use plastics like bags and straws have become cheaper, more convenient, and more common than their paper counterparts. It’s only then that we’ve seen the real boom in plastics – and the resulting plastic waste.
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the increasing number of single-use plastic items that are becoming part of our daily lives. One of these items is the plastic straw, billions of which are served in cafes and restaurants each year or as part of take-out.
Ozetazini, yo estime 500 milyon pay plastik pou yon sèl itilize chak jou, pandan y ap nan Ewòp, figi a se 25.3 milya dola nan yon ane.
Men, sa k ap pase yon fwa yo itilize pay plastik sa yo epi jete yo?
1. Paille plastik yo pa biodégradables
Why are plastic straws bad for the environment? Unlike natural materials such as paper, wood or cotton, the polypropylene used to make most disposable plastic straws is not biodegradable. This means that once plastic straws are in landfills, small organisms such as insects or bacteria cannot break them down by eating them, nor can they be broken down into easily reusable compounds (such as carbon dioxide or water). Instead, the straws will simply degrade, gradually breaking down over 200 years into tiny particles also known as microplastics, which give off harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A, or BPA, which are not only potentially carcinogenic themselves, but also attract harmful contaminants. And they will stay around forever and will directly harm the environment and earth’s creatures.
2. Paille plastik yo difisil pou resikle
Non sèlman pay plastik yo pa biodégradables, men yo tou difisil pou resikle apre yo fin itilize yo. Dapre enfòmasyon, nan tout 8.3 milya tòn plastik, se sèlman 9% resikle. Polypropylène plastik pay yo klase kòm klas 5 plastik, ki gen menm mwens chans yo dwe resikle. Rezilta final la se ke li voye nan depotwa yo ak dekonpoze an mikroplastik.
3. Paille plastik ap polye oseyan ak vwa navigab nou yo
Putting plastic straws in landfills and letting them slowly degrade is never an environmentally friendly solution. The reality, however, is that used plastic straws often have an even worse destination: our oceans. A landmark study on ocean plastic was published in Science in 2015. Researchers found that we produce 275 million metric tons of plastic waste in a single year, with between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons entering the ocean.” 8 million metric tons of plastic is equivalent to 5 bags …… filled with plastic enters the ocean along every foot of the world’s coastline,” said Jenna Jambeck, the study’s lead author, at a 2015 panel at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.” That’s huge.”
Chalimo plastik yo gen plis chans pou yo jwenn wout yo nan vwa navigab nou yo.
Premyèman, yo fòme yon pati enpòtan nan fatra plaj, epi paske pay plastik yo piti ak lejè, yo souvan soufle soti nan poubòl, kamyon fatra, ak dechaj pa van an.
Lè sa a, yo ka byen vit jwenn wout yo nan vwa navigab yo epi yo ka lave nan oseyan an.
Finalman, ansanm ak lòt ti atik plastik, zwazo yo ka enjere pay nan depotwa yo. Paske pay pa biodegrade, yo rete nan vant zwazo a jiskaske lanmò. Zwazo yo tèt yo pral biodegrade, kite dèyè pay plastik ki pral soufle oswa koule nan vwa navigab tankou anvan.
Yon fwa pay plastik antre nan oseyan an, yo anpile ak lòt fatra plastik epi yo fòme gwo debri k ap flote sou sifas oseyan an. Debri sa yo ka anpeche limyè solèy la rive nan alg ak plankton anba dlo a, sa ki anpeche yo konvèti limyè nan eleman nitritif vital. Si popilasyon alg ak plankton yo menase, sa ka afekte tout rezo manje maren an. Nan yon tan ki long, sa ka mennen nan mwens fwidmè ki disponib pou moun.
Paille plastik ka piti, men lè nou itilize plizyè milya ladan yo chak ane, yo fè yon kontribisyon enpòtan nan fatra plastik ki nan oseyan nou yo. An reyalite, syantis yo predi ke si nou kontinye pèmèt plastik antre nan oseyan nou yo nan vitès aktyèl la, pral gen plis plastik (pa pwa) la pase pwason pa 2050.
4. Paille plastik yo move pou bèt sovaj maren
Natirèlman, li enposib pou yon kantite dechè plastik konsa antre nan oseyan nou yo san yo pa gen enpak negatif sou bèt sovaj maren ak bò lanmè ki ap viv nan ak toupre dlo a. Yo estime ke anviwon 800 espès diferan afekte pa polisyon plastik maren, e omwen 100,000 mamifè maren mouri chak ane akòz debri plastik.
Yon etid PNAS te jwenn ke 90 pousan nan tout zwazo lanmè enjere plastik. Pati nan rezon ki fè plastik touye lavi maren se trangulasyon oswa toufe.
But the bigger reason plastic is so dangerous is that it releases toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) as it breaks down. BPA mimics estrogen, disrupts our hormones, and may cause cancer. A recent study found that plastic also kills coral reefs by making them more susceptible to disease. While it’s impossible to count the effects of plastic straws alone, it’s thought that 90 percent of seabirds have already ingested some kind of plastic from the ocean, and by 2050, 99 percent of species could be affected. This could cause a marine bird or mammal to starve to death if it ingests large amounts of plastic; feeling the weight in its stomach, it thinks it has already eaten and has no incentive to find enough food to stay alive.
Being entangled in plastic debris is another huge problem for marine life. in 2015, a video of a sea turtle having a section of plastic straw removed from its nose by a group of marine biologists went viral online. The film shocked millions of viewers, raised awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution, and gave strength to the movement to ban single-use plastic straws altogether.
Microplastics will inevitably make their way into our food – through the fish on our plates and the water in our bottles. But researchers are still unsure how toxic microplastics are when we consume them in this way.
Where are straws banned?
Entèdi pay plastik gen chans rive nan vin yon inisyativ estanda nan ane kap vini yo. Atravè mond lan, peyi, ak eta yo ap pran aksyon pou netwaye anviwònman nou an lè yo entèdi oswa limite plastik ki sèvi ak yon sèl, tankou vil Nouyòk, Seattle, Miami Beach, Vancouver, Hawaii, Kalifòni, Angletè, Scotland, ak Taiwan. Lòt kote ak òganizasyon ki te entèdi oswa sispann pay gen ladan yo
Royal Gift Shops ak Mize nan UK a (sou demann Rèn Elizabèt II)
Divès manm Asosyasyon Zoo ak Aquarium
Inivèsite Portland
Enstiti Art nan Chicago
McDonald's (Wayòm Ini)
In the US, California, Oregon and Hawaii have already implemented plastic bans), while the EU has set a deadline of 2021 for banning single-use plastics.
The days of single-use plastic straws are numbered, and replaced by more eco-friendly options. Individuals can choose to purchase biodegradable sugarcane bagasse straws and coffee grounds straws, which biodegrade into carbon dioxide and water in the natural environment without causing harm to the environment or living organisms. They can also be used in commercial composting and home composting. Alternatively, reusable straws, such as those made of glass or stainless steel, are recommended.
These positive changes are a hopeful sign that the problem of plastic straws and their impact on the environment will soon be a thing of the past. Now, roll up our sleeves, clean up our oceans, support our marine wildlife, and leave pristine beaches for future generations.
