Alwyn Ecker
Portland, ME
2016, Senior, Creative Writing

“Excuse me, sir,” I call out to the man who just walked past me.

“What do you want?” he snaps.

“Um.. well.. sir, I am collecting signatures for a local petition banning plastic bags.”

I look to his eyes to see if I can read his response, and if it is worth it to give him the spiel about why plastic bags are hazardous to our lives and our environment.

His face shows contemplation on whether he has the time to listen to a high school student or if he would better be off leaving.

“What is this ban about?” he asks.

My face lights up; finally someone wants to hear about why plastics, and in particular plastic bags, are bad for the environment.

“Well, the petition would ban the use of Styrofoam and would place a five cent fee on plastic bags-”

The man’s forehead wrinkles. “Fee?!?” the man interjects. “Let me tell you. I do not have an extra five cents. I can’t listen to this anymore!” he says sharply and turns to walk away.

“Wait! Forget about the ban for a second.” I call out to him, “Do you know that plastic bags leech toxins into our waterways and that they can end up in our food and
drinking water?”

The man kept walking down the asphalt path.

I sigh. I think to myself, if only people took the time to learn about the implications of plastic bags, then they would realize how harmful they are for the ocean habitat and us.

I see a couple coming towards me.

Here we go again. I quickly think over the possible scenarios that could result from this next conversation.

“Excuse me? Hi.. I am collecting signatures for a local ordinance that would ban plastic bags.”

Silence.

“What is the ban about?” the woman asks.

Oh no, I am in exactly the same dilemma as before. I look at the couple. Both are middle age, and both are staring at me waiting for my response.

I make a quick decision.

I state quickly, “As you probably know, plastics are made from fossil fuels. What you may not be aware of is that in order to make finished plastic products, plastics are combined with a mix of additives. These additives are used to change and enhance the plastics makeup.”

I wait. The couple looks at me, and then at each other.

“Well, what’s so bad about the additives?” the man asks cautiously.

“Well, the issue with these additives is that they are made of toxins. These toxins can leach into the water, and plastics can absorb other toxins in the water.”

I explain to them that many of the pollutants in the ocean are oily, which bind well to the outside of plastic debris. Over time, these pollutants (from the fossil fuels used to make the plastic) can leach into the ocean. Since these pollutants are insoluble, the seawater is full of these types of oil-derived chemicals that will float on the surface of the ocean. The combination of the oils and plastic sitting in the water can have major effects on ocean organisms. If an animal eats the plastics, the animal will absorb the toxins. Since the animal has taken up these toxins, the toxins will transfer through the food chain to us, humans.

The couple’s eyes widen.

“That can’t be true,” the woman exclaims.

“Sadly this is true. Another thing that is saddening is how plastics degrade,” I remark.

“Obviously plastic degrades; when I go to beach I don’t see small pieces of plastic in the water,” scoffs the man.
“Actually plastic does not degrade. Unlike paper and plant matter which will eventually biodegrade, plastics break down incompletely. Plastics break into microplastics, which are harmful to marine life-”

“What are microplastics?” the woman interjects.

“Well,” I say, “microplastics are small pieces of plastics.”

I explain to the couple that microplastics are any piece of plastic that is less than five millimeter long. Plastics reach full degradation by a process known as mineralization.

“Then they do degrade,” the man interjects.

I then explain that for the most part, plastics do not mineralize. Degradation is dependent on the makeup of the plastic, the molecular weight, the environment, and the additives in the plastic. Since plastics break down into microplastics and usually do not mineralize, the pieces never disappear.

“So what?” the woman responds.

“These microplastics have significant detrimental effects on marine life,” I begin to tell them, “and plastics can have severe consequences on marine animals that might ingest or become entangled in the plastic.”

I explain to them that birds, fish, turtles, as well as other marine mammals consume marine debris because the debris looks similar to food. An example are sea turtles or whales who might think a plastic bag resembles a squid.

I sense that I am overwhelming the couple and that I am starting to bore them with all of these scientific facts.

“I have personally seen the effects of plastics on the ocean,” I begin. “This past summer, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks traveling along the coast of Maine studying the health of the ocean. I was able to see up close what plastics are doing to these animals. I was shown a mason jar full of various colors and different sized pieces of plastic. All of the plastic came from one bird. Most of the pieces were the size of sand particles.”

This got the couple’s attention.

I continue, “On my trip, we did a beach clean-up on an island; we collected 15 full bags of trash. Most of the bags were full of plastic material.”

“That is terrible!” the woman exclaims.

“So you’ve told us about plastics, but how does that relate to plastic bags?” the man asks.

Good point, I think to myself. I have not explained the ban to them yet. After all, I am here to get them to sign the petition.

“Well,” I begin, “plastic bags are a major contributor to plastic pollution.”

I tell them that Americans use and dispose of over 100 billion plastic bags each year. In addition, waste disposal companies do not want to deal with plastic bags because they can clog equipment and can result in fires and other issues.

“Ah, I see. How old are you?” the man asks.

“I’m a high school senior,” I reply.

“You seem quite young to be involved in this sort of stuff,” the man says.

“Well, after learning about the implications of plastics from my trip and from my own research, I began to realize how my actions, even though I live in a small community, were contributing to the issue of plastic bags and the pollution of our oceans.”

“So what is this ban about?” the woman inquires.

“Well, the group I am involved in is trying to ban the use of plastic bags in our town. The plan is to place a five-cent fee on plastic bags with the hope that it will promote the use of reusable bags and reduce our dependence on single-use plastic bags.”

Silence. Oh no, I think to myself, you’ve lost them now. They look at each other.

“Where do we sign?” the man asks.

I stutter, “Here, and here,” and I hand them the clipboard and pen.

After they sign, the woman says, “Thank you and I hope that you get enough signatures.”

“Thank you!” I tell them.

I see them walking down the asphalt path.

I smile to myself. For me, it is not about how many signatures I get in a day; it is the chance to make a difference in how people may think about their use of plastics and the impact plastics have on our environment. Sure, signatures are great for the cause, but to see someone walk away questioning their use of plastics is rewarding in itself. They may not support the ban of plastic bags but at least I have planted the idea in their mind of the consequences of our dependence on plastics. Maybe, somewhere down the road, it will lead toward a change in their habits. Knowing that I have worked to educate others makes me feel that I am taking the right steps toward creating a healthier planet.

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Planting the Plastic Seed for Change