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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/1-in-3-americans-say-theyve-reduced-how-much-plastic-theyre-using>
"As consumer concern about plastic pollution grows, a third of adults in the
United States say they have reduced their use of plastic products over the past
five years.
That’s according to the latest
NPR /
PBS NewsHour /
Marist poll, which
found that close to half of Americans (47 percent) said they had maintained
their use of these items — like water bottles, razors or straws. Another 1 in 5
adults increased their use during this time period, which included years of a
world-altering coronavirus pandemic.
Discarded plastic, which is derived from fossil fuels, ends up in landfills or
in the environment, where it takes decades if not centuries to break down.
Leaders in the plastic industry have long emphasized the promise of recycling,
but a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions of metric tons of plastic
produced globally each year is recycled. That waste is sometimes exported from
richer countries and dumped in poorer ones.
In whatever nation it lands, plastic poses a particular threat to marine
ecosystems and wildlife. The material never truly biodegrades, instead breaking
down into increasingly tiny pieces over time. Researchers are still examining
how these microplastics may affect human health.
Here’s a look at who is cutting back on plastics, according to the new poll,
and why that’s hard to do at an individual level."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
