Reflection

Reflection

Here in California, Proposition 67, a ballot proposition that would ban stores from giving out single use plastic and paper bags and instead force them to charge customers for one, was passed. The effectiveness of this measure has been shown by statistics on the city of San Jose. According to Scientific American, a study revealed that plastic litter was reduced by 89% in the storm drains, 60% in the creeks, and 59% in the streets and neighborhoods, and use of reusable bags in the city had gone up 16-fold. Proof of how plastic sanctions work is also evident internationally. In Ireland, where a plastic bag tax was passed in 2002, plastic bag use went down by 94%. Driven away by the fee that came with the convenience of a plastic bag, people stopped using them, and this directly led to less plastic in the area, and ultimately the environment, around them. My art explores the struggle between nature and plastic that is plaguing the oceans, and the solution that may help solve it. As a metaphor for using my proposed method of plastic taxes, which can be implemented on other forms of plastic such as utensils and water bottles to save our oceans, my art is expressing a concept that I want people to consider as a realistic way to help get rid of plastic pollution.