It takes 450 years on average for one plastic bottle to break down. That’s a long time.

I worked with a Northern gannet once, a large migratory seabird. It arrived at the wildlife center in very rough shape; skeletal feet protruded from an emaciated body. After he passed, we decided to perform a necropsy to determine the cause of his condition.

He had plastic in his stomach, as large as a fishing hook and line, responsible for a necrotic wound, and fragments of otherwise recyclable plastic. In addition to the infection, the objects inside his GI tract likely caused an obstruction, weakening the bird. A yellow-green fuzz coated his heart, likely fungal growth from Aspergillosis. Despite our best efforts, we could not save him.

This is all too often the fate of wild animals exposed to plastic.

Recycling is not a cure-all solution, but it’s an important start. We can reduce the amount of toxins flooding our ecosystems by purchasing selectively. According to “Grist,” one ton of recycled plastic can save 685 gallons of oil.

When we eat seafood, we often don’t consider that these animals may have ingested plastic. Plastic attracts toxins like heavy metals and other pollutants. These microplastics then move into our own bodies. There, the toxins increase in strength due to biomagnification, the increase in pollutant concentration from one level of the food chain.

So if you don’t want to take unnecessary health risks and still want to eat clam chowder, and if you like birds and turtles and are concerned about the impacts we as individuals have on others, then consider the following:

• Purchasing reusable glass water bottles and BPA-free steel reusable coffee cups are a good way to cut out plastic sources
• Many restaurants allow you to bring your own containers for leftovers
• Though Styrofoam often has a “recycle me!” triangle on it, it isn’t recyclable in Syracuse  
• In Onondaga County and Syracuse, you can recycle bottles and jugs with the numbers one and two on them, and tubs with the number five on them. Some things are counter-intuitive, so check before you toss them
• Return plastic bags to stores
• Plastic cutlery is never recyclable

Recycling may seem like a small step, but it does make a difference. From the seabirds, turtles and cities around the world to our own backyards and bodies, one bottle matters.

Amanda Gabryszak,

SUNY-ESF Class of 2018

Published on February 14, 2018 at 9:09 pm