Holiday festivities in the United States produce a massive amount of plastic waste

According to Stanford researchers, during the holidays, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, Americans create a gigantic mountain of plastic waste, about 25 percent more waste than the rest of the year.

At the recent United Nations climate change conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan, a man dressed in a red suit with white trim, a red hat and a long white beard greeted the participants. The surprising character was not Santa Claus but “SustainaClaus”. His real name is Philip McMaster and he is an environmental activist.

His message to participants at the climate change conference: the planet is warming and we must act now.

“If we focus on childhood and future generations, we will make better decisions,” said Sustainability Santa.

A major obstacle: plastic waste. At another UN meeting, held in Busan, South Korea, the goal was to develop a global treaty to end plastic pollution. It ended without a deal.

Plastic pollution is a thorny and threatening problem.

“The problem of plastic waste is huge and it has only grown exponentially,” remarked Professor Kate O’Neill of the University of Berkeley.

O’Neill is an expert on plastic waste and does research in Cal’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

She explained how the United States generates a staggering amount of plastic waste. One report puts the figure at around £97 billion a year.

Most plastic waste comes from fossil fuels. However, less than 9% of plastics are recycled.

“Even with recyclable plastics, it’s very rare that they can be recycled more than once without downgrading them into something unusable,” O’Neill added.

Most single-use plastics cannot be recycled in the United States and end up in landfills, incinerators, or the environment.

A recent CBS News investigation found that even within a large company that promotes sustainability and recycling, there are problems.

CBS journalists across the country placed plastic cups with tracers in 36 Starbucks store recycling bins. Fourteen trackers were last sent to landfills, another 13 went to waste transfer stations, five ended up in incinerators and only four were sent to places that accept recycling.

Another concern is the content of some recycled black plastics.

“Regulation is really lacking at the moment,” said researcher Megan Liu. Liu is the chief science and policy officer for the nonprofit research and advocacy organization Toxic-Free Future.

Liu was the lead researcher on a new study on e-waste and some black plastics found in our homes. The study was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Chemosphere. Chemosphere publishes original research on chemicals in the environment.

In the study, researchers found that some kitchen utensils and food trays made from recycled black plastic contained toxic chemicals. These chemicals are known flame retardants used in electronic equipment.

You can’t tell by just looking at the black plastic object. Explained to him that he would have to be tested. She warned against using black plastic kitchen utensils when cooking food. If made from recycled e-waste, they may contain flame retardants associated with human health concerns.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Services has detailed how some adverse health effects can include endocrine and thyroid disruption, immunotoxicity, cancer, and adverse effects on fetal and child development and function. neurobehavioral.

“There are studies that show how flame retardants can actually leach from contaminated cookware into the food that we cook. And so, something people can do here is replace their plastic cookware black by safer options like wood or stainless steel,” advised Liu.

Another great Christmas gift: a reusable mug. For other sustainable vacation ideas, the World Wildlife Fund is a great place to start. And for some great plastic-free Christmas gift ideas, check out Beyond Plastics.