By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 9, 2022 | Individual Gwinnettians can make little progress in improving the world. But the nearly one million of us in Gwinnett, working collectively, can make a dent into one problem this world faces.
Many other community governments are adopting rules for their residents to help mankind. One particular problem that mankind now faces involves the public’s use of plastics, which when discarded, are threatening our environments, particularly the ocean waters.
Dr. Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia is internationally recognized for her work to reduce plastic waste. Her research has spurred governments, industry and nonprofit organizations to protect ocean wildlife and ecosystem health by reducing plastic waste generation and expanding waste management infrastructure.
She estimated from her studies in 2015 that eight million metric tons of plastics enters the world’s oceans every year. Then later she found that 90.5 percent of plastic has never been recycled.
What happens when plastics get into our oceans? Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of the stomach of fish and fowl. One estimate was that 60 percent of all seabirds have eaten plastic, and by 2050, that number will be 90 percent.
Another study maintains that plastic waste kills up to a million seabirds a year. Scientists report that many seabirds are found dead with their stomachs full of plastic.
For larger sea animals, whales, dolphins and porpoises, a ballooned plastic bag can look like squid or other prey, so they gulp them down, never realizing it’s just a bag full of water. And their stomachs fill with plastic waste.
How can Gwinnettians help with this problem?
We urge our County Commission to adopt rules regarding the use of plastics in Gwinnett. Eliminate single-use plastics like bags and straws. Instead, require the use of paper products instead of plastic in our retail stores and restaurants. Most Gwinnett residents will applaud this move
Paper products are biodegradable, easy to recycle and reuse, and can be composted. Paper bags are eco-friendly, and are often used over and over. They are also sturdier when hauling in heavy purchases, such as from grocery stores. Fewer paper bags are needed than plastic in such instances, since they hold more.
Many commercial enterprises have already taken this step to paper products. The Krystal restaurants, specifically, in the past year no longer hand purchases in plastic bags to customers, but now use paper bags. Some retail stores ask customers if they want their purchases in plastic or paper bags.
Another plastic product, single use straws are consumed 500 million times a year in the USA. They are difficult to recycle, are not biodegradable, and harm our wildlife. Many governments have banned their use. As an alternative, paper straws are easily substituted, and can be disposed of without harming animals.(Some people use stainless steel straws, both washable and durable.)
Therefore, we strongly urge the Gwinnett County Commission to ban these plastic products in our county, and adopt the use of paper products for substitutes, as the new Gwinnett Standard within our borders. This is another way Gwinnett County can lead the rest of Metro Atlanta the way toward progress.
We also add as another of GwinnettForum’s Continuing Objectives, the elimination of single use plastic packaging and straws and require instead the use of paper products.
Together, the nearly one million Gwinnett residents can do their part for an improved world through a new Gwinnett Standard.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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