b'vvvvvSURFACE WATERThe world cant seem to go a8day without it. ALTERNATIVES TO SINGLE-USE PLASTICSWritten by Daniel KellyFrom cell phones to automobiles, the modernThey get mistaken as food by marine creatures world we take for granted owes much of its existenceincluding seabirds and sea turtles. Eventually, the to plastic. And though we may have plastic to thankimpacts of poor nutrition and plastic consumption by for spurring such grand innovations, many of us havethe creatures are felt up the food chain. The threat to started to realize theres a lot of bad to go along with human health is serious enough that the World Health the good. Organization is calling for more research into human absorption rates of microplastics. 4More than 8 billion tons of plastic are estimated to have been produced 1 since the first manmade plastic,Because of its broad applicability to an incredible array parkesine, was patented in 1862. 2After use, most ofof products and services, the use of plastics continues these plastics have found themselves in landfills, rivers,unabated. Despite the large number of consumers who and oceans. Many of the most polluted waterways arerealize that plastic pollution is a problem, recycling rates in developing countries, such as China and India.are still low. In 2018, the overall U.S. recycling rate for plastic bottles was 28.9%, a decline from 29.3% theWhile more research is needed to determine theyear before. 5amount of plastic pollution in freshwater systems, it is estimated that 9.5 million tons of plastic enter theA common refrain for years has been to reduce, reuse, ocean each year. 3and recycle. But improving recycling rates is something that still requires considerable effort. Recycling relies on Of this waste, plastic drinking bottles, food wrappers,changing human behavior, whereas replacing plastics and plastic grocery bags are estimated to be some ofwith more sustainable options would more directly the biggest contributors. In the worlds oceans, thesemitigate our overreliance on plastics. Here are eight plastics break down over decades into microplasticspotential solutions to our plastic addiction!invisible to the human eye. 14 MISSION: WATER'