Guest Post: Plastic Free July x Environmental Racism
- Brittany Westveer
- Jul 13, 2020
- 3 min read
Hey everyone! Before I get into the actual blog post, I would like to “introduce myself”! My name on social media is "Climate Crisis" as I am an anonymous account. I started my sustainability journey almost a year ago and have been growing and learning with my followers ever since. I have an instagram page called @climate_.crisis_ and a blog https://climateecrisis.wixsite.com/mysite! I am so grateful to be collaborating with Brittany and for the opportunity to come and speak on her blog. In today’s post, I talk about Plastic Free July and going deeper into the environmental racism issues embedded in the plastic industry. Continue reading to find more on these issues!
It’s Plastic Free July and I am SO excited! If you didn’t know Plastic Free July is a challenge of going plastic free for one month. People from all over the world participate and customize it to fit their lifestyle. While zero wasters (myself included) are pumped to have this challenge, we still need to look at how plastic is directly affecting people of marginalized communities.
Plastic Production
Ever heard the term “Environmental Racism”? Environmental Racism refers to the extreme negative impacts that climate change disproportionately has on BIPOC. One of the biggest issues is the production of plastic.
Plastic is created from fossil fuels which already have an immense impact on their own. To get these oils the fossil fuel industry drills into the ground and injects a mixture of water and chemicals to release them. This then promotes potential hazards of water contamination in that area which heavily affects freshwater sources and ecosystems.
Beyond that these sites are polluting the surrounding air with toxic chemicals. These sites are more often than not located in marginalized communities negatively impacting citizen’s health. Cancer, cardiovascular disease, and childhood leukemia have been linked to the leaching of these chemicals.
Cancer Ally
Ever heard of Cancer Ally? It is an area along the Mississippi River that is heavily polluted by the production and manufacturing of plastics. It is actually the second biggest producer of petrochemicals in the country and is lined with several factories to serve this purpose. It is a prime example of environmental racism in the plastic industry as the residents of this area are predominantly black. Many people in that area have lost family and friends to these toxic chemicals and the diseases that come along with it!
Consumption And Disposal
Plastic is a cheap, versatile packaging widely used in practically every industry - whether it is the food, toy, office, or hygiene area of your local Walmart you WILL find plastic. Because of this, the demand for more is on the rise due to its availability for such a low cost. The low cost of plastic however does not account for its toxicity for the land AND people. The simple message here is that the more plastic we buy the more its toxins, chemicals, and pollution will be released into surrounding areas -- areas that are more often than not low-income marginalized communities.
Did you know that single use plastics are only used for 12 minutes on average? From there they are either sent to landfill, incarcerated, or sent to a recycling center. When entering the landfill, plastic releases toxic methane as well as pollutes the air and water in that area. When the plastic gets incinerated it comes with a hefty environmental toll. Thousands of toxic chemicals - chemicals that can very well lead to the deadliest of diseases and can have extreme negative impacts on the brain - get released into the air, suffocating surrounding communities. BIPOC communities have been targeted areas for these sites since the early 1960s. Just another reason to avoid plastics when possible.
To that end, my message here is that the environmental and social justice movement often “share the same enemies”. It’s why you can’t pick and choose which movement to support without looking at them both. This Plastic Free July, I challenge you to look beyond your own garbage can and into the global can. Look at where, how, and who the waste is affecting. You have the power in how you educate yourself.
For more information I recommend checking out:
A Terrible Thing Thing to Waste by Harriet A. Washington
Photo by Marcin Jozwiak on Unsplash
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