NTMWD 2025 Summer

Opinion: Every day should be Earth Day

by | Apr 22, 2020 | Opinion

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day was April 22, so let’s talk trash for a moment. The plastic kind. Bags, bottles, cutlery, straws, containers, razors, cosmetics, and so much more. Around the world, in our effort to package everything imaginable over the years, we are slowly clogging up the environment with single-use plastics.

We’ve become a disposable society, and according to Pew Research, we produce up to 13 million tons of plastic waste and about a garbage truck equivalent is dumped into the ocean every minute. It is threatening marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

The scary fact is that plastic is not technically biodegradable – unless you think taking more than 400 years to decompose is ok. Plastics are produced from natural gas, feedstocks derived from natural gas processing, and feedstocks derived from crude oil refining,” says Energy Administration Information (EIA).

Even more shocking is that by 2050, the World Economic forum reported that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight. Working with that same timeline, the journal Science Advances estimates that about 12 billion tons of plastic waste will be in our landfills or natural environment if current plastic production continues.

Some of you reading this may not care: Maybe you don’t eat fish. Maybe you don’t think you’ll still be alive. Maybe you don’t think you can make a difference, but you can. Future generations of humans and wildlife depend on our ability to care and take action.

In a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, 56% of U.S. adults say protecting the environment should be a top priority for the president and Congress, while 44% says the same about dealing with global climate change.

I’m not holding my breath. We all know government agendas are packed and the lobbyists and groups that yell the loudest get the most attention.

Less than nine percent of all plastic is recycled in the U.S. and even if you actively recycle, that’s not enough. Recycling facilities cannot handle all the trash and millions of Americans are not following proper recycling protocol. Republic Services, a local waste collector said, “We collect the items in the curbside recycling container. Once those items arrive to the recycling facility, they are sorted or processed. If the items are not recyclable, items such as garden hoses, dirty diapers, plastic grocery bags, etc. – these items are trash and they will go to the landfill. They cannot be recycled. It is important that residents who participate in the recycling program put only items that can be recycled (cardboard, newspapers, soda cans, etc.) into their recycling container.”

So, what do you do in the meantime? You make simple small lifestyle changes. You purchase shopping bags and remember to take them into every store. You buy in bulk when you can and carry your own containers or produce bags to the store. You can start asking area fast food chains to use biodegradable plastics, or better yet, carry your own utensils. You can refuse straws and buy a stainless steel one. You can buy a water filter for your home and bottle your own water in your own glass or metal water bottle. You can stop buying plastic toothbrushes and razors.

Is it inconvenient? Maybe a bit but small changes will yield big results if we all do our part. Teach your kids and everyone around you that celebrating Earth Day every day is the only way to protect the planet.

For more stories like this, see the April 22 issue or subscribe online.

By Sonia Duggan • [email protected]

Collin Summer 2025

Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property ET_Builder_Module_Comments::$et_pb_unique_comments_module_class is deprecated in /home/csmediatexas/wylienews/wp-content/themes/Divi/includes/builder/class-et-builder-element.php on line 1380

0 Comments

Subscribe RH Love

Related News

Clutching the past

Clutching the past

Columnist John Moore learned to drive on a stick shift. He still uses a clutch to operate his tractor. Courtesy John Moore One of the necessities of my youth is now one of your best bets to prevent vehicle theft: a stick shift. I watch a lot of YouTube, and...

read more
Polished

Polished

Columnist John Moore still shines his own shoes. As long as he can find the polish to buy. Photo: John Moore In some cultures, people wash the feet of guests who arrive at their home. At my parents’ house, I didn’t wash the feet of guests, but I did offer to shine...

read more
The chain gang

The chain gang

Columnist John Moore misses the old chain stores, one of which, Gibson’s, still exists in Kerrville, Texas. Photo John Moore Online shopping has turned us into couch potatoes who buy more than we ever used to. Adding items to an imaginary cart and clicking, “Buy Now,”...

read more
 A free gift inside

 A free gift inside

Columnist John Moore eats a lot of jelly, but not for the reason you might think. Photo: John Moore My sister and I would make a beeline for the cereal aisle at the Piggly Wiggly while my mom did the shopping.  Decisions, decisions. Did we want to roll the dice...

read more
Jumping to conclusions

Jumping to conclusions

Columnist John Moore finds himself a little lost with new technology. Sometimes lost a lot. Courtesy John Moore Folks aren’t counting on each other like we were 50 years ago. And technology is the wedge that’s come between us. Our parents didn’t worry about us much...

read more
Gardens and Grandma

Gardens and Grandma

Columnist John Moore didn’t like gardens as a kid. That’s changed thanks to his grandmothers. Photo: John Moore As a kid, I hated the vegetable garden. If you stood on our back porch, it was to your left. It took up the entire corner of our large yard. To me, gardens...

read more
Insurance crisis hitting public schools

Insurance crisis hitting public schools

Severe weather from hurricanes and other weather events has not spared the state’s public schools, resulting in skyrocketing property insurance costs, the Houston Chronicle reported. Insurance costs for districts have increased by 44% statewide in the past five years,...

read more
A numbers game

A numbers game

You don't see phone books much anymore. But even when they were around, columnist John Moore was nowhere to be found in one.Courtesy John Moore For those of us who once made our living working on the radio, one of the main competitors we had for advertising dollars...

read more
Order photos