By Dave Berndtson

Most of us are aware that the plastic takeout containers we pick up at our favorite restaurants across the nation, use once, and then throw away are destined for landfills – but what happens from there? Turns out they could end up as geological indicators of humanity’s existence in the distant future. Seriously. Your take-out taco container or coffee cup could one day mark the geological eyeblink of modern human history, similar to how the striking stratifications seen in the rock formations of Badlands National Park inform us of eras come and gone. Geologists have identified plastic as a future marker of our current time period, the Anthropocene Era, because of its near indestructibility, longevity, and its mind-boggling abundance.

The danger that plastics pose to the health of our planet is growing as we produce more plastic products each year to meet rising demand. Since large-scale plastic production began in 1950, Americans have generated an estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics (for perspective, that’s more weight than 55 million blue whales). Of that total, 6.3 billion metric tons have become waste, and 79% of that waste is now sitting in landfills and the natural environment. That’s a lot of plastic. In 2015, the EPA estimated that 34.5 million metric tons of plastic were generated in the United States alone, and 14.68 million metric tons of that was for plastic containers or packaging – nearly 50% of all plastic production! Often included with takeout containers are other environmentally harmful items like plastic utensils or bags, which compounds the problem. Additionally, we simply aren’t doing a very good job of recycling or composting. In fact, of the 14.68 million metric tons of plastic containers produced in 2015, over two-thirds ended up in landfills or the natural environment. Once out of your hands and into the trash, the plastic waste begins its long journey towards becoming fossilized remnants of humanity.

Companies like Uber Eats, GrubHub, and Postmates have made it easier than ever to order food. It’s challenging to raise concern levels and spur change in thriving businesses, and the food delivery service has skyrocketed to a market value of $43 billion. But it is possible to have the convenience of takeout while using less plastic. These companies are still thriving in Seattle where bans on food packaging, plastic straws, utensils and bags have been implemented. GrubHub also has an option that allows customers to decline plastic utensils, napkins, and straws from their delivery. If we could convince delivery services and restaurants to use alternative packaging, or convince consumers to use reusable food storage options, it could significantly lower demand for plastic containers.

Imagine we could flip a magical switch and stop all production of plastics and put all current plastics into a perfectly efficient cycle of reuse. If we did, there would still be enough plastic circulating the globe to leave the legacy of humanity in distinct layers of sediment the whole world over, including in the deep sea floor and polar regions. While disheartening, that doesn’t mean that taking steps to reduce, reuse, and recycle aren’t worth it.

Big changes often require big, challenging first steps, so it can sometimes help to focus on the positives. On October 24th, 2018, the European Union voted to ban all single-use plastics by 2021. Here in the United States, President Trump signed legislation aimed at reducing ocean dumping and funding coastal cleanups. In Seattle, the reduction of local plastic use through the recent plastic bans could help to slow the degradation of the Puget Sound, giving scientists and policy-makers more time to address the issue of contaminants associated with plastics in the waters that negatively impact many different species. Any steps humans can take to limit or slow the production of plastics will give us more time to search for potential solutions for environmental management, habitat restoration, and biodiversity conservation.

There are hopeful scientific and technological developments, too. The discovery of plastic-eating bacteria or the exciting technological potential of admittedly imperfect ocean cleanup projects could contribute to the resolution of our global plastic problem. One thing is for sure, if we don’t find other ways to limit and reduce our plastic use, we’re going to make solving our own problem a lot more challenging, as researchers project that current plastic production rates will boost the amount of plastic discarded into the environment from 4.9 billion metric tons to 12 billion metric tons by 2050.

However, hope is not lost. There are many steps you can take to reduce the flow of plastics into the natural environment. Make sure to check out the next Currents post by Karin Otsuka where she provides advice on how to make these tough changes. It’s easier than you think!