Six decades ago, a mass production of plastics began. “Of the 8.3 billion metric  tons that has been produced, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste” (Parker 1). That means 91 percent of plastic is not being recycled. The definition of plastic is a “synthetic material made from a range of polymers that can be molded or shaped” (Blanchfield 1). Unfortunately enough, this synthetic material is harming the planet. According to the “Plastic Oceans” website, “We are now producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single use. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.” It is tremendously being wasted and then polluted into rivers, streams and lakes and then migrating to the ocean to harm wildlife. Plastics are endangering people, the ocean and the earth. People need to find and utilize alternatives for plastic instead of allowing it to end up on land and in oceans. 

Just because plastics has been around since the 1950’s, people are likely to think that the human population is unaffected by plastic. However, it is evident that “The “recyclable” plastic the U.S. sends abroad are often low-quality and low-value. Some contain a cocktail of toxic additives that threaten recycling workers’ health” (Arkin 1). This means that the things that most of the plastic that leaves America aren’t even usable; and the chemicals that were either used in the making of the plastic or made its way to the plastic material during the using and recycling period, had life threatening chemicals on it, which was dangerous for workers. Especially because workers are not sure what they are touching and inhaling constantly, it is unethical for them to be put in a situation that compromises their safety. The people that work with plastic also do not have good protection laws in place. For the employees in the United States that work with plastic, “Such workers often face no labor or environmental protections, and usually only have access to poor quality equipment” (Arkin 1). The poor equipment puts the workers at risk to harm themselves or others, and with that huge possibility, whatever tragic thing that could happen to the workers will not be covered by any medical or labor policy or law. The combination of chemicals in plastics and the dangerous work environment due to the lack of good equipment and safety regulations makes plastics an even more harmful tool for people to utilize as much as they do.

When going to visit the beach for vacations, the pollution in the ocean is rarely noticed; however it is proven that “...people living within 50 kilometers of the coastline in coastal countries produced 275 million metric tons of plastic waste. Of that, they estimate that 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons of plastic made its way into the ocean” (Kollmorgen 1). That amount of plastic breaking down into the ocean is dangerous to the wildlife there. There is so much pollution of plastic in the ocean that, “If waste management practices don’t improve, Law said she doesn’t even want to find out what our oceans will look like in the next 15 years” (Kollmorgen 1). This affects everyone because without oceans, there is no water, and without water there is no life. Not to mention that, “Plastics contain additives and toxins. While scientists are still trying to determine the extent to which this happens, Law said these toxin-filled plastic pieces, when eaten by fish, could move up the food web to the human food supply” (Kollmorgen 1). Not only are plastics being infiltrated into oceans and surrounding wildlife, it is also being consumed by fish in the ocean, but people as well. Things such as microplastics and even regular plastic are currently compromising the safety of ocean wildlife and human beings.

Plastic polymers are also endangering the earth and earthly creatures. The presence of plastics in the environment is actually life-threatening to several organisms. Over time, “Stories of aquatic birds strangled by plastic beer or soda can holders are no longer news because they occur so often” (Blanchfield 1). Just because it’s not handpicked to be on the news or social media, doesn’t mean that it is not currently a problem in America, and it is certainly not getting better. In fact, it has been shown that “According to the study and the World Bank, the planet is not predicted to reach “peak waste before 2100” (Kollmorgen 1). However, with the increasing amount of plastic being produced and wrongfully utilized, the peak waste will hit a lot sooner if things are not done to replace plastic. Polymers such as plastic doesn’t just go away. When plastic bags are littered in roads, woods, oceans and other land, “The large amounts of plastic materials embedded in landfills are expected to resist degradation for very long periods of time” (Blanchfield 1). When plastic is polluted, it stays there instead of biodegraded into the earth. Over time the Earth is covered in plastic, killing wildlife and land with the chemicals mainly produced from natural gas and coal. 

People might argue that plastic hasn’t been around long enough to be properly and accurately evaluated. However, with all of the research and different sources previously provided, it is safe to say that something as dangerous as plastics has been thoroughly reviewed. Some people would also say that plastics bags are not the blame and banning plastic bags will not actually help the environment. According to a study that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found, “...active fishing gear bycatch, in other words, fishing nets that are being used at sea, not discarded plastic bags” (Myers 1). However, National Geographic's did a study that stated “scientists tried to get a handle on the gargantuan amount of plastic that ends up in the seas and the harm it is causing to birds, marine animals, and fish” (Parker 1). There is also controversy on how much plastic is in the ocean. Opponents would say that “Some claim it is twice the size of Texas. This is simply false ...the actual amount is less than one percent the size of Texas” (Myers 1). Possibly with the addition of, “There is no doubt that the amount of plastic in the world's oceans is troubling, but this kind of exaggeration undermines the credibility of scientists" (Myers 1). However, it has been proven that, “The prediction that by mid-century, the oceans will contain more plastic waste than fish, ton for ton, has become one of the most-quoted statistics and a rallying cry to do something about it” (Parker 1).  People that are against banning plastics to creat a healthier living environment might say that “The most significant environmental risk from banning plastic bags is the increase in energy use. Plastic bags are the most energy-efficient form of grocery bag” (Myers 1). On the contrary, even though plastic is cheap and highly versatile “...these qualities have also resulted in it becoming an environmental issue. We have developed a “disposable” lifestyle and estimates are that around 50% of plastic is used just once and thrown away” (“Plastic Oceans”). The previous quote further proving that plastic is wasting more energy than it’s actually providing.

The use of plastic is harming the life of human beings, the wildlife in the ocean, and the earth. To stop the dangers of plastic, every country affected should improve the infrastructure of waste management and require alternative resources, like replacing plastic straws with metal and plastic cups with a different type of material. It would also be extremely helpful for people to volunteer for costal area clean ups and reduce, if not stop the use of everyday plastic. Store companies could replace their plastic take out bags with more environmental friendly bags, like cloth. Most importantly, the mass production of plastic needs to stop. There is no telling what the world would look like in a few years if plastic continues to wrongfully utilized at the rate it is now.