Plastic Pollution: Workers Needed, Not Hype

 Plastic pollution is an environmental disaster. It must be addressed in a number of ways. This includes finding alternatives to plastic, reducing the use of plastic, and more. It is critically important for there to be universal proper waste management so that billions of people dependent on plastic in developing countries have proper ways to dispose of plastic trash instead of dumping it or openly burning it, thereby contaminating the air, everything around and themselves. 

When it comes to removing plastic already in the environment, the focus has been on volunteerism and technology. Both have their limitations. In many developing countries, many people cannot afford to be volunteers. Technology is limited as to what it can achieve, including the kinds of habitats where it can actually work. Technology, for example, cannot remove plastic from mangroves, forests, many shorelines, and many other habitats. 

What has been missing in regards to removing plastic already in the environment is employing people to remove plastic trash. Poverty is widespread in the world. People need work and the environment needs to be cleaned. Putting the two together means helping disadvantaged people by employing them to remove plastic pollution. Employed labor must become an integral part of removing plastic trash already in the environment.

If things continue as they are and plastic pollution is manipulated to serve certain selfish interests, while nothing of any significance is done, the outcome will be disastrous. Having millions of pounds of plastic trash continue to pour into rivers and oceans daily is not sustainable.