Plastic is so common and widely-used today that we might take its presence for granted, but it has only been around a little more than a century. Plastic was first invented in 1907 by Leo Bakeland, a Belgian chemist. He combined formaldehyde and phenol under pressure and heat to create the first type of plastic, which was called Bakelite. According to Advanced Plastiform, “until the early 1930s, the only plastics that were in wide use were Bakelite and celluloid. However, the invention of Bakelite and its 100 percent synthetic components opened the doors for the creation of new polymers, including polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, and nylon.” During World War II, the United States used significant amounts of plastic, investing billions of dollars in private plastic companies. After the war, however, the demand for plastic died down as metal became more widely available again.
This changed in the 1960s, when there was a resurgence of plastic use as improvements in production made it suitable for home decorations, furnishings, and chairs. Unfortunately, while plastic was now even more appreciated, many did not understand the consequences of mass plastic use. According to Plastic Expert, while recycling began to be promoted in the 1970s, others “deemed a liberal practice, and to some it was beneath them.” In the 1980s, landfill usage reached an all-time high leading to the landfill crisis of the 1980s. As a result, recycling began to become a more accepted practice, not just for cans and paper but even plastic bottles and furnishings. The article adds that “recycling rates more than tripled through the 2000s, from 12% to 39%. Throughout the 2000s more landfills closed than opened.” Despite this, our consumption and disposal of plastic has continued to accelerate, leading to even the oceans becoming a landfill. According to Recycle Track Systems, as of 2023, “there is an estimated 75 to 199 million tons of plastic waste currently in our oceans, with a further 33 billion pounds of plastic entering the marine.” This is what has formed what the National Geographic refers to as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” forming in the Pacific Ocean, creating a massive “cloudy soup” of microplastics and discarded plastics.
Unfortunately, the consequences are not just in the environment, but now inside our bodies. Researchers at the University of New Mexico discovered that our brains are now 99.5% human and 0.5% plastic. Alongside this frightening fact is how, according to an article in the Ethicalist, “Microplastics have been detected in various human organs, including the liver, kidneys, lungs, and even in blood, breast milk, placentas, and bone marrow.” These higher levels of plastic can cause major health issues; as the Ethicalist notes, “Laboratory studies have indicated that microplastics can cause cell damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, which are linked to various health issues.” This makes the proper disposal of plastic not just an environmental concern, but one vital to our health. Preston Kousoulas, a junior at Corona del Mar High School noted how “plastic has become a part of every single component of our lives. From what we eat, the clothes we wear, and what we sleep on. A majority of the material we use nowadays is made of plastic. It will be interesting to see fifty years down the line if there are significant health consequences from this.”
Plastics are an amazing material that makes so much of our modern life possible. But, at the same time, there are real consequences to using it irresponsibly. We should not only take the effort to recycle our plastic waste whenever possible, but also consider ways to reduce our plastic consumption. Just like how hydroflasks replace the need for disposable bottles, or paper straws can substitute for plastic ones, we can make informed decisions to help avoid our world and bodies from being plastic landfills.
