(All photos and data are by Hailey Towne)
It’s pretty easy to think of yourself as an eco-friendly friendly person, using metal water bottles and reusable straws, but what about those Hershey Kiss and Starburst wrappers from the book store every time you have class in Maxwell Savage? Our AP Environmental Science class did a week long experiment starting on February 4th, ending on February 11th. This experiment was to collect any trash that we disposed of throughout the week and keep it in a trash bag in our backpacks.
I am the type of person who loves to educate myself through documentaries. My dream is to go to school for marine biology and study ways to clean up micro plastics from our oceans. Unfortunately, the plastic wrappers and containers will eventually contribute to this micro plastic problem. Once the plastic begins to “break down,” it breaks of into smaller pieces, making it easier for smaller animals such as birds and fish to consume them. Besides poisoning animals, these plastics can also destroy habitats for marine life, as well as those who spend their lives on land. Another way that this plastic can negatively effect the environment is during the production. Factories that produce plastic also produce toxins into the air that contribute to air pollution.
One thing that I noticed through the whole process is that I went through a lot of food wrappers and containers during the week of the experiment. However, the most common trash that I and my fellow classmates consumed is various types of plastics. As I looked around the classroom, I realized that the most common waste item I saw was some sort of plastic food packaging. This includes wrappers from granola bars and candies, and containers from packaged food from JJ’s or plastic gum containers (guilty). I personally had 3 pieces of waste under the plastic category, and two of them were packaging and the other was the plastic trash bag that I kept all of my other trash in.
Knowing my dad, I know that he downs vitamin waters like his life depends on it. Thinking about the question of whether or not my parents generate more garbage than me, my immediate thought was absolutely. My dad doesn’t really get hungry throughout the day, so he just snacks throughout the day and eats something close to a meal when he gets home from work. With this being said, my dad goes through a lot of plastic wrappers and packages from the snacks that he eats. “The type of trash that I dispose of the most is definitely those plastic bottles that my vitamin waters come in. I also bring a gallon jug of water with me to work everyday, but I reuse it every day” (Chris Towne). This was not news to me. I then went on to ask him what he thought the next highest waste product was, and this answer was no surprise, either. “With the amount of snacks that I eat, I would definitely have to say plastic food wrappers. I eat a lot of chips during the day. Oh, I also usually eat a can or two of soup when I get home, so I guess you can add tin cans to that list, too” (Chris Towne). If I could sum up my dad in a singular quote, that would definitely be it. The last question that I asked my dad was how much trash he thought he generated, in pounds, on an average week. “I’m not sure how accurate this is, but I think that my best educated guess would have to be 2-3 pounds per weeks. I don’t think that it would be that high if I didn’t drink so many vitamin waters, though” (Chris Towne). My dad added that he thinks this assignment should be very eye opening to anyone who partakes in the experiment. He also said that it is very important for the future generation to know how much of an impact that they have on the environment.
I know that the point of this experiment was to see how much municipal waste I produce during a typical week, and we weren’t supposed to alter how we would normally act, but I think I let this assignment get to my head a little bit. It wasn’t always a conscious thought in my mind to reduce my municipal waste production as much as possible, but it was definitely an underlying thought. As for the bonus points, carrying around my trash bag with me, this did not influence my decision making. I am usually very cautious about the trash that I “consume” in a way, and I avoid using straws by carrying around my own reusable collapsible silicone straw that I can put on my key chain.
I must say, I do agree with my dads statement about the importance of understanding our ecological footprint. It was very eye opening while I looked around the classroom and saw how much municipal solid waste we produced as a class. It was a lot more than I had expected. Since I did not generate that much waste during the week of the experiment, it wasn’t hard carrying around my trash with me everywhere. The trash that I did generate was pretty collapsible, so I was able to just put the trash bag into my backpack and carry it along with me throughout my day. This experiment was very insightful and educational and my favorite part of this assignment was definitely emptying out all of my trash onto my table. Sorting it, weighing it, and making calculations was a fun hands-on experience, which is what science is all about.
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