Less than four years from now, France will no longer allow people to use disposable plastic cups and plates in the country. Recently, a new law was adopted in France that will require all disposable tableware to be made from 50% biologically-sourced materials. The law will not be put in place until 2020, and after in effect, the percentage of the new biologically-sourced materials will keep rising. According to the French Association of Health and Environment(ASEF), 150 disposable cups are thrown away every second in France, which equals 4.73 billion per year.
All of way across the world, France is trying to help the environment. What are students at Pleasant Valley doing to help the cause? Each classroom is given one paper and one plastic recycling bin. After the bins get filled, do students know what happens to the propel bottles and old worksheets?
From the start of kindergarten, students have been imprinted with the phrase ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’. While students have been encouraged to always recycle, somehow landfills continue to fill, and different parts of the environment[birds, ocean life, soil] continue to be devastated by the disaster of [plastic] pollution. Young adults need to begin to wonder about how to create a healthier environment not only for their future, but the generations to follow.
Olivia Heckel, senior, says “Biodegradable products would help reduce the amount of trash produced.” The use of biodegradables and a law similar to France’s would help the U.S. in an attempt to go green and use the science of mother nature to help herself create a safe environment for life on earth.
Meredith Jones, sophomore, brings up a point of discussion; “Biodegradable products won’t reduce litter, but it will reduce the amount of litter in landfills and will be better for the environment and the animals within it.” This point explains exactly why this law would be beneficial; the people who already don’t recycle will be unintentionally helping the environment when they throw a plastic water bottle out the window. Jones added, “This law would be very beneficial for our pollution problem.”
The next time the plastic bottle bag fills up at lunch, think about all of the dangers just one of them can take on this earth, and multiply it by billions. Only mother nature will outlive all of the inhabitants on this planet as long as everyone keeps it clean and safe from human pollution.
