By now, we know that our oceans are in trouble. It was a watershed moment when it became popular to talk about ocean plastics last year. And, all the details came out. We are literally drowning in plastics. The strangle-hold of plastics is growing by 8 million pieces every day, and it's killing our oceans with 18 billion pounds of plastic every year. That's the bad news.
What's the Good News?
There's always good news, even if and when we don't hear about it. The good news offers hope for the future, but it's also the kind of news that we geek out about. But, it's also a great opportunity to take action and participate in activities that are making a difference. Here are just a few of the good-news stories you'll want to hear:
Banning Plastics
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that it will ban single-use plastics by 2021. Canada joined the long list of state and local bans. California banned plastic bags in 2016, New York just banned them this year, and that trend has made news across the US and around the world. At least 127 countries now regulate or ban single-use plastic bags.
What Good Does Banning Do?
Plastics, in all their shapes and sizes, are not biodegradable; so any form of plastic will end up in landfills and the oceans. Then, those items take hundreds of years to decompose, releasing toxins the whole time. Banning plastics does more than just reduce the huge onslaught of plastics in the waterways and oceans. It also affects the use (and abuse) of fossil-fuel-derived energy. The use of less plastic translates to a reduced need for petroleum. Already, the reduced use based on the factors we can measure indicates that the reduction is making a huge impact--by as much as a 90% litter reductions.
What More Can We Do?
Beyond plastic bans, clean-up efforts, and other recycling efforts both in the US and around the world, a number of solutions have been invented and deployed that have offered hope for quick and effective resolution to the ocean-plastics crisis. Some have been more effective than others. (As just one example, Ocean Cleanup just didn't live up to the hype.) Despite the unrealized expectations and complete failures, we continue to work toward solutions that will clean up and protect the oceans, as we continue to work toward saving the planet. River and ocean cleanup efforts are making a difference, but we can also avoid the purchase of microbead products. There are also numerous organizations who are taking the lead on solving the ocean-plastics issue. Here are just a few of the most prominent organizations: Oceanic Society, Plastic Pollution Coalition, 5 Gyres, Algalita, Plastic Soup Foundation. It's important to keep up with all the solutions, and actively support them when and where possible.
How Trashcans Warehouse Makes a Difference
We, at Trash Cans Warehouse, are firm believers in the power of sustainability. Recycling is a huge part of everything we offer, both as product ans services. We also work to make the process of purchasing and deploying trash cans as easy as possible. We can provide quantity discounts so that you can have the number you need to make sure that your property is beautiful, presentable, and that it reflects your core values. We work to make our efforts part of the solution, by educating and bring awareness to the important efforts both in the US and around the world.