Letter to Senator Barbara Boxer

This is a copy of the letter I wrote to the Honorable Senator Barbara Boxer about the issues I found plastic to be causing and the solutions I find appropriate for the problem. As a powerful Senator on the Committee for Environment and Public works, I hoped she would feel as strongly about the issue as I do.

Dear Madam Chairwoman,

        The growing popularity of plastic items is becoming an issue, an issue that I am sure you are aware of due to in your leadership of the Environment and Public Works committee. I know that your interests in the environment have been focused on the protection of ecosystems and preventing pollution. Due to this fact, I would like to ask you to consider raising awareness about the danger that the environment faces as plastic rises in production and disposability. Polyethylene Terephthalate(PET), plastic labeled #1 and High-Density Polyethelene(HDPE), labeled #2, along with five other types of plastics are building up in landfills as single-use plastic items are becoming commonplace and recycling maintains a low rate. Plastic is used to make many items that civilians use on a daily basis, including water bottles, computers, clothes, and containers among many other things. The versatility of petroleum-based plastics may seem like a wonderful trait that justifies its overuse, but as the substance remains in landfills, it pollutes our groundwater, carries pests, and does not degrade for up to 1,000 years. The high amounts of plastic we leave on Earth today will end up as our legacy if we do not change the way that plastic as a resource is managed.

      There are many possible solutions to the problems that petroleum based plastics are causing. One major solution is the incorporation of bioplastics, which are plastics based on plant material and starches from vegetables like corn and potatoes, in single-use plastic items. Food and beverage containers, carpet, upholstery fabrics and other items can be made from plastic resins produced from companies like NatureWorks, Cereplast, Novamont, Toyota, and even Coca-Cola. In order to use bioplastic in products, recycling centers will also need to have the ability to compost the plant-based plastics, which do not emit toxins and compost much faster than petroleum plastics do in a landfill. Although the cost might be high exact figures I do not know, the fees will eventually help to save the life of our environment and therefore our own. One other suggestion that I have that may help the current plastic recycling problem is mandating that all states use the “Bottle Bill”, which is currently used in eleven states. These bills call for a small charge on certain plastic beverage containers when purchased, usually about five cents, that is returned when the containers are taken to a recycling center. The states that have the bill in place are shown to have higher recycling rates than those that do not due to the cash incentive. If this bill is implemented nationwide, I imagine the improvements in our recycling rates could be immense.

      As a leader in the Senate, you have the power to change the way the environment of the United States is being treated. Please consider all that I have stated in this letter; just like you, I care deeply for our planet and hate feeling like a bystander who can only watch as it slowly suffers. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Emily Lupton
2460 Eileen Drive
San Diego, CA, 92123