Be a Zero Hero: Saving Our Oceans from Plastic Pollution
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen
When you throw out trash, do you ever wonder where it might end up? Perhaps at some landfill site like other waste? In reality, there is a high chance your garbage may end up in the ocean. In fact, the oceans are full of plastic waste.
While the idea of garbage filled oceans is a scary thought, there is hope on the horizon. In this article we will explore how waste impacts our oceans and learn how living a zero waste lifestyle can help us protect our seas!
The Effects of Waste on Oceans
To say that plastic waste is choking our oceans would not be an exaggeration. Around 17.6 billion pounds of plastic end up in the ocean each year. Plastic waste can take up to 500 years to decompose. So there's a good chance that all the plastic we’ve ever thrown away is still around.
While one plastic bottle may not be enough to affect marine life, millions of them certainly are. Marine life regularly gets entangled in or ingest pieces of plastic. They end up choking, suffocating, or even starving when plastic takes up too much room in their stomachs. If this trend continues, some species may become endangered. Sadly, some already are.
Fish inside of a plastic glove on the beach. Photo: Pexels.
Even when plastic is properly taken to a landfill, it can have negative effects there too.
Plastic in landfills doesn’t disappear, it emits carbon dioxide and methane over time. These two greenhouse gases are the largest contributors to our global warming crisis. As ocean temperatures rise, ice caps continue to melt, and ecosystems begin to collapse, it's clear that climate-driven loss of sea life is inescapable.
What We Can Do to Help
If we continue to pay little attention to our waste disposal habits, the consequences will be dire. The ocean doesn't exist separately from us — we depend on it far more than we are aware. But how do we do that? A potential solution we can think of is adopting a zero waste lifestyle.
What Is Zero Waste?
Most of us buy products, consume them, and then throw them away at the end of use. That’s called linear economy- and it’s the main culprit behind the issues we are currently facing.
As people become more environmentally conscious, they turn to recycling to reduce their carbon footprint. Instead of throwing away an item at the end of its use its thrown into recycling bins where the materials can be taken and made into a new product, extending its lifecycle.
Definitely a positive step forward, but it's not enough. Most materials can be recycled so many times before they too end up in landfills. When plastic is recycled, the quality decreases. Instead of being recycled into another plastic bottle, it's downcycled into products of lesser value that end up as non-recyclables. According to Greenpeace,only 10% of everyday plastic is actually recycled in the UK.
Seeing these issues with both the linear and recycling economy, the zero waste movement decided that a circular economy is what we should strive for. Put simply, instead of figuring out how to deal with waste, we should completely eliminate it.
Of course, completely eliminating waste is a difficult concept to understand and even more difficult to implement. But just avoiding the use of products with excessive packaging and minimizing consumption is a step in the right direction. Eventually, if everyone were to adopt this lifestyle, the impact of zero waste movement would be tremendous.
The Five “Rs” of Zero Waste
At this point, the zero waste lifestyle may sound pretty abstract. Minimizing waste is great in theory, but how does it work in practice? Are there any specific steps you should take, and if so, what are they?
Sustainable products from a zero waste shop. Photo by Anna Oliinyk.
Introducing the five Rs of zero waste: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. If you keep these five words in mind as you go about your day, you’ll have no trouble living a zero waste lifestyle. Here is what each means:
Refuse
Buy only things that you actually need and avoid items that you can use only once, such as plastic water bottles. The less you buy, the less waste you will generate.
Reduce
Even when you do need an item, be careful not to buy more than is necessary. Also, examine your shopping habits and consider what things you could do without.
Reuse
Always make sure to buy reusable items and then actually reuse them. Look up new and inventive ways in which you can use things you already have. That way, you won’t just save oceans but also your wallet.
Recycle
Recycling is still a good last resort when you absolutely can’t find a way to reuse something you own. But don’t go for it right away — exhaust your other options first.
Rot
Don’t throw organic matter into plastic bags! Instead, let it naturally decompose and compost it. You can later use this compost as fertilizer.
Can you be a zero hero?
Reducing the amount of waste in the oceans is an incredibly difficult task, one that might not have a fully satisfying solution yet. Still, that doesn’t mean we should shrug our shoulders and refuse to do anything. Even if it may not seem like much, going zero waste is a step in the right direction.
So, now that you know what zero waste entails, why not give it a try. Soon, you’ll discover that it’s not as hard as it seems and that the benefits are numerous. In no time- it will no longer be burdensome, and you’ll feel like you’re really making a difference!
Dolphin smiling in the water. Photo: Pixabay
Nicolle Portilla is RTS’s and Zero Waste’s Marketing Manager, and has been a valued member of the team since July 2018. She is responsible for content creation on all platforms, leveraging creative software, industry trends and research, and social media strategy to build upon the company’s online presence. Additionally, Nicolle contributes to the RTS blog, which serves to educate clients and industry players about our technology and sustainability efforts, and is responsible for the creation and dissemination of our internal and external newsletters.
Prior to taking on the role of Marketing Manager, Nicolle served on the Sustainability team for nearly three years, assisting clients in achieving their sustainability goals through external communications and event organizing.Preceding Nicolle’s time on the RTS team is her work with Clean Water Action, where she promoted clean water initiatives. Nicolle graduated from Stony Brook University in 2018 with a B.A. in Sustainability.
Sea Going Green is a sustainable tourism consultancy working with hotels, resorts and tourism operators around the world to lower their plastic footprint and environmental impact.