THE ISLAND OF PLASTIC
Photo: Archive.
There is an island of garbage the size of Mexico in the South Pacific Ocean. Greenhouse gasses contribute to air pollution that affects everyone. Every day, the island grows bigger, and the air gets worse because of our consumption of non-biodegradable materials. The damage we do to the environment is nearly irreversible, so there are some actions we must take to keep our planet habitable: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Above all else, reducing and reusing waste is the most important. The fewer plastics we buy, the fewer we throw away. Reducing can be done in many ways; one could bring reusable bottles, bags, or cups, or one could simply buy goods without a lot of packaging. The ways to reduce and reuse are far simpler than they may seem. However, it is almost impossible to avoid using plastics in one’s daily life, so we must recycle. On the municipality’s website (www.muni.org) is all the information about what can be recycled in Anchorage. There is also a free app with all of the recycling and garbage information for Anchorage called Recycle Coach. Both resources explain what materials can be recycled, the garbage truck routes, and the drop off locations for recycled materials. It would be difficult to eliminate all forms of plastic from daily life, but it is easy to find ways to save the planet, bit by bit. Every person, every day, doing the best they can to save the planet is an effort that truly matters. |
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