Single Use Plastics

My AP Biology Thoughts

Unit #: 8- Disruptions to Ecosystems

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EPISODE TITLE: Single Use Plastics

Jaiden: Welcome to My AP Biology Thoughts podcast, our names are Jaiden, Adam, and Reena and we are your hosts for this episode called Unit 8, Human Stupidity and Single Use Plastics. Today we will be discussing how single use plastics cause disruptions to the ecosystem and how it relates to the AP Biology Curriculum.

The Podcast will be broken up into three segments. The first segment will show the general overview of single-use plastics and the second segment will show how these plastics impact the environment and why it relates to the AP Biology Curriculum. Finally, segment three will discuss how we can contribute and reduce single use plastics.

Segment 1: Overview of Topic

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated 35.7 million tons of plastic in the United States.
Single use plastics are plastics that are used for a brief period of time, before they are thrown away. These include plastic straws, spoons, bottles, and bags
Microplastics are extremely small pieces of plastic debris. They are generally about five millimeters, or approximately the diameter an eraser on a #2 pencils, in length to be considered microplastics

Segment 2: Just how much harm is plastic causing

Some plastics such as Chlorinated plastics is harmful for the soil around it along with water sources making it harder for organisms to grow
It takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. However, the plastic does not degrade completely but instead becomes microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment.
An estimated 13 million plastic tons are thrown into the ocean each
These small plastic particles may harm our health once they have entered our bodies. Plastic products contain chemical additives. A number of these chemicals have been associated with serious health problems such as hormone-related cancers, infertility and neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism.
There are now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes. This is because every day, around 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into our oceans.
Unlike some other kinds of waste, plastic doesn't decompose. That means plastic can stick around indefinitely, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Some plastics float once they enter the ocean, though not all do.
Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are among nearly 700 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter.

Segment 2: Connection to the Course

This is related to fitness and the survival rate of organisms since the plastic decreases the survival rate of most organisms.
This also connects to ecosystems and how plastic interrupts them by harming members of the ecosystem.
The harm of organisms can impact the biodiversity of an organism which is our current unit.
Climate change reduces the biodiversity of an ecosystem by causing some animals, who can’t adapt to the changing temperatures to become extinct, impacting the entire food web.

Segment 3: Plastic bag debate

The debate on manufacturing of plastic bags. The current plastic bag has 75% less plastic than it did 20 years ago largely due to climate concerns. However this makes the plastic bags less durable and unlike 20 years ago plastic bags are no longer able to be reused. According to the federal government 2/3rds of the plastic bags from grocery stores are being used. So would it be better to produce plastic bags with more plastic in order for them to be reused or try to minimize the plastic needed for the bags to function.
Plastic bags banned in New Jersey (May 4th 2022)
Most plastic waste into the ocean isn’t caused by just the United States. An estimated 80% of ocean plastic waste is caused by Asia from their rapid urbanization. This can cause plastic waste to be related to foreign policy and how other countries can influence the environmental impact of other nations. The United States is the next biggest culprit but has improved in recent years.
Alternate solutions. Examples include: Reusable bags, paper/polylactic acid (these two are biggest alternative material), community service.

Reena: Thank you for listening to this episode of My AP Biology Thoughts. For more student-ran podcasts and digital content, make sure that you visit www.hvspn.com. Remember: Do something drastic and cut the plastc!

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Sources:

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