About the Project

    Everyone knows about global warming, species extinction, and the rapidly growing population of the world. These are major threats to the health of the earth and all living organisms, including us humans. But there is another threat, almost hidden from view, that is just as dangerous as all of those previously mentioned. This is a problem that most people contribute to daily, albeit unknowingly: plastic.

The plastic threat

    On average, 300 million tons of plastic pollution is produced every single year, and that figure is rising. Over the last ten years, we produced more plastic than during the entire last century (These stats are from plastic-pollution.org). Much of this plastic ends up in the middle of the ocean, posing a threat for all sorts of aquatic life, choking seabirds and poisoning tiny micro-organisms. Plastic is like the ultimate pollutant. It can't be properly recycled, it takes an incredibly long time to biodegrade, and because of its incredible versatility and cheap production, it is everywhere in our lives.

What can we do?

     Plastic is a huge threat to our planet, that much is certain. But change isn't all that difficult. Half of all the plastic we use, we only use once before throwing in the trash (according to EcoWatch website). This includes disposable plastic bags, water bottles, food packaging, plastic cutlery, and many other things that people buy every day, unaware of the permanent consequences they will have on the environment. Eliminating this waste is not that difficult!
    Over the course of two weeks, I will be conducting an experiment. For the first week, I will collect all the plastic waste accumulated in my household. When shopping, I will make no reservations in buying products that may produce more plastic waste than others. During the second week, I will once again collect all of the plastic waste - but this time, I will take as many precautions as possible to ensure that I produce as little plastic as possible, buying things packaged with more sustainable materials, or with no packaging at all (like paper or glass). At the end of the two weeks, I will compare the plastic waste produced in both weeks. Hopefully, this will prove just how easy it is for anyone to reduce their waste production.