Page 179 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

Durability. Plastic containers bend and stretch and don’t break
if you drop them.

CONS AGAINST USING SINGLE-USE PLASTICS:
Plastic pollution is one of the most serious threats to the health of our
oceans. About 18 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean from
coastal communities. One estimate suggests that by 2050 the
ocean will house proportionally more plastic than fish. (!) Tragic
scenes abound, from turtles choking on straws to whales’
bellies so full of plastic, they starve because they can’t fit in
enough food. National Geographic has called the ocean “Earth’s
last sink.” Bottles and bags are culprits, but straws are espe-
cially problematic because they are so small and lightweight,
they often fall through the cracks of recycling sorters, don’t
get put in the recycling bin, or aren’t accepted by recyclers in
the first place. But straws are just the poster plastic for a much
larger wake-up call about the need for sustainable packaging.
And less packaging, period.

Microplastics. The enormous accumulation of all these little
plastic particles in marine life could be making its way into
our bodies when we eat the critters. Microplastics, as they’re
called, have shown up in more than 100 aquatic species, more
than half of which are common human fare. These tiny plastic
particles are degraded pieces of larger plas-
tic debris. The science is still emerging,
and so far it’s not reason to stop eating
shellfish and fish—the plastics don’t yet
appear to make their way into tissue,
instead staying in their guts.
Plus, it’s hard to discern
cause and effect, given the
sadly plastic-filled world we

168 how to be a Conscious Eater

Conscious Eater_03 PT_4th patches.indd 168 10/23/19 1:35 PM