WHO KNEW Avoiding Plastics at the Grocery Store Could Have Such a Far Reaching Impact on Your Health and the Health of the Environment?
Plastic is ubiquitous, especially at the grocery store. But there are good reasons to avoid it as much as possible, and the first has to do with your health. Plastics are made up of many different substances, and even though
the FDA screens food-related plastics for toxicity, it’s the manufacturers of these plastic products who conduct the screening. See:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/18/are-plastic-containers-safe-to-use-food-experts
Studies show that plastics leach chemicals into the environment and into the food with which they come into contact. See: https://norwegianscitechnews.com/2022/01/plastics-leach-toxins/
In addition to the toxins they release, plastics also fill our landfills and pollute our ocean and land environments. In 2018, the EPA determined that a mere 8.7 % of plastics is actually recycled. The vast majority ends
up in landfills. See: https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data and
Furthermore, microplastics, defined as “extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown ofconsumer products and industrial waste”, are believed to permeate nearly
every aspect of our existence. See: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230103-how-plastic-is-getting-into-our-food
.
If you think that recycling or reusing your plastic is solving the problem, think again. The only solution is reducing our reliance on a product that is finding its way into every part of our lives. Stay tuned for another
“Who Knew?” suggesting ways to reduce your plastic consumption at the grocery store.