Environmental Education

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      Every year billions of single - use plastic containers end up in landfills, oceans, and our neighborhoods, polluting our environment and clogging our storm drains. These plastics don't disappear: they break down into microplastics that harm our waterways, wildlife, soil and even our own bodies. This is one of the major reasons why it was necessary and urgent that an organization like Project Sweep-Up Nyc be formed.

     The most common types of plastic waste found in the environment are cigarette butts,  followed by food wrappers, bottles and bottle caps, shopping bags,  straws, and stirrers. And we’re only just beginning to see the  widespread presence of small microplastics, which include things like  threads that shed from synthetic clothing and the beads and glitter  added to personal products. 

     These microplastics quite easily end up in the water, on farmland,  getting eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. They’ve even made  their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the  bottom of the Mariana Trench. 

For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly  dangerous; when eaten, they can easily accumulate inside an animal’s  body and cause serious health issues, like punctured organs or fatal  intestinal blockages.

     When we ingest microplastics, as well as the chemicals that are added to plastics during processing, we face myriad health risks.  Many of the chemicals in plastics are known endocrine disruptors, and  research has suggested that human exposure to them could lead to  hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems like infertility, and even  cancer. The phthalate ,DEHP is just one example from dozens, is often added to plastic goods  like shower curtains and garden hoses to make them more flexible—but it  was also found to be a probable human carcinogen by the U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency, 

Large producers of single-use plastics can make a  big environmental impact. As part of the Break Free from Plastic  movement, Greenpeace volunteers conduct annual audits of plastic  pollution along coastlines, sifting through hundreds of thousands of  individual pieces across 41 countries to identify the pollution’s  sources. In 2023, they discovered that Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Unilever  products were found most often. 

Coca-Cola on its own produces three million metric  tons of plastic packaging each year, equivalent to a terrifying 200,000  plastic bottles per minute.

  Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your

• Always pack a reusable bag when shopping. (And yes—reusable totes are better than plastic.)
• Cook more often—and store leftovers in your freezer—to reduce your use of plastic-heavy take-out containers.
• Compost your waste, its, including shrinking your personal waste stream.
• Buy in bulk. Avoid individually packaged goods, like  snack packs. Zero-waste shops, which are becoming more popular, even  encourage you to bring in and fill your own containers.
• Though buying online sometimes has a lower carbon footprint than shopping in a store (skip the express line,  if you can), online shipments are still chock-full of plastic. Your  best bet for reducing your footprint and plastic waste? Walk, bike, or  take public transit to buy products in person.
• Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers  in reusable containers. Or try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap as  one easy alternative.
• Buy a metal or glass reusable straw. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery for sustainable eating on the go. 

In closing, the struggle against plastic pollution is certainly a global situation. We are going to have to work in a cooperative effort to bring and end to what some might call a crisis situation.