The Secret Life of Litter: Where does it all end up?
Many have probably seen litter around their parks, cities, etc. But we all have one question in mind, well, at least I do. Where does all of this junk end up? How does this effect our beautiful world? Well to look at this, we need to look at the basics, something that seems incredibly obvious, but you would be surprised!Litter can travel in 3 hard hitting ways. Of course, there are more ways litter can travel, but I found these 3 to be the most common: Storm Drains, Wind, and landfills. According to a... "Storm drains [are] designed to collect rainwater and prevent flooding, often inadvertently act as conduits for trash." The Enviroliteracy Team also goes on to mention how this litter can travel during rainstorms, resulting in litter to travel into local rivers, lakes, or even the ocean. Sometimes, litter and other pollutants are filtered and managed if they go down the Sewage Systems, however Enviroliteracy also mentions that these sewage treatment plants are not always as effective as they seem, noting that "Microplastics and other small pieces of debris can sometimes pass through the filtration systems and be discharged into waterways." In more rural areas, or towns/cities that have poor or nonexistent sewage treatment plants, the untreated water can directly flow into rivers and coastal waters, causing even more harm to the environment. The second way that litter travels is through wind and coastal erosion. Wind is highly effective with transporting smaller and lightweight pieces of litter, such as a Doritos bag, grocery bags, etc. Wind can carry items from landfills, from waste piles, litter on street runways, and highways. It can especially be bad for the environment in coastal areas near waterways and oceans, like the Fox Cities for example, or Florida. Finally, we have landfills. This may seem surprising for a lot of people, as landfill are intended to help with the whole garbage and litter issue. However, I'll argue that landfills do even worse for our environment. For example, in landfills that aren't properly lined, rainwater can leach out pollutants, which includes plastics, and can travel through rivers and eventually into the ocean. Not only can litter end up in the ocean, but also in your backyard! Yes, you heard me right. During heavy storms, all of that litter and junk can be carried away into nearby neighborhoods, parks, etc. Now, something I thought I would specifically mention is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and specifically how all of that litter travels to where it is now. In a National Geographics website article titled "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," the author explained how "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. The patch is actually comprised of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between the U.S. states of Hawai'i and California." Now here's where it gets interesting. The whole area of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. A Gyre is essentially a huge whirlpool, creating a large swirling vortex of ocean currents. Unfortunately, this vortex sucks up and whirls around tons of plastic waste and other debris from the ocean. Because none of these debris are biodegradable, the plastics all just accumulate, and become this one big blob. Or they break down into tiny pieces. “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Education, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Team, E. L. (2024, September 12). How Does Trash Get into the Ocean? [Review of How Does Trash Get into the Ocean?]. How Does Trash Get into the Ocean?; Enviro Literacy Council. https://enviroliteracy.org/how-does-trash-get-into-the-ocean/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&__cf_chl_tk=godhNt7G1LY.JCKRK3MI7zCF.4rCP14fWCDZfCSbaJA-1768069863-1.0.1.1-XKcrxYsFe3GpKjAGdtklklM4tY4Ms9TPqoHNVO32u3I
Does Recycling Even Help?
We have been fed a lie. We have been taught probably since the start of our education that recycling will help the litter and pollution issue. You've probably seen those ad campaigns saying "plastics make it possible." However, according to a 2024 Popular Science article titled "Plastic makers lied about recycling for decades. What do we do next?" they explained that "most plastic is either landfilled or burned—just about 9 percent is ever recycled, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental group." However, we should note that this is mainly talking about plastics rather than other items that have a 68% higher chance to get recycled, such as papers, cardboard, and glass, notes a 2018 EPA Data study.
It is not entirely the consumer's fault for causing this massive recycling and waste issue. Rather, it's the industries and companies that are causing an increase of this waste, and switching to plastics that are actually the key problem, and can help us figure out what it is we can do to solve this issue. Almost every major company that sold food products or produced packaging ended up using plastic packaging to "to save on money" and to "increase profits."
I myself can remember that cold night, walking into Kwik Trip thirsting for a fresh cold Sn apple, then all of a sudden being shocked and confused, finding out that Sn apple discontinued what they were known for, their glass bottles. They replaced them with the stereotypical plastic bottle. It wasn't great.
To continue on with the timeline, by the 1990s, there was a growing movement to stop these companies from using these "single-used plastics," and fought to make laws to limit them. With these companies feeling pressured, this officially sprouted that idea that if you just put that darn plastic bottle in the recycling bin, there would be no problems whatsoever. The companies would continue to make tons of money, the people were happy, everyone was happy! Because of this, worldwide plastic production rose from 2 million tonnes to over 120 million tonnes annually from 1950 and 1990, according to an "Our World in Data" report.
What is the next course of action?
- Recycle any bottles or jugs you have: If you are going to recycle anything, the data shows that just 8.7% of plastics were recycled in the US, yet there are different types of plastics, like plastic containers, soda, water bottles, milk jugs that have a higher chance of being recycled. Anything else is really a no-go, and would most likely not get recycled.
- Use less plastic: You can also buy items that are already, by nature, reusable. Instead of buying bottles of water, you can instead buy a metal water bottle. Instead of eating chips which is unhealthy for you anyway, you can instead make a homemade snack, and store it in a reusable plastic or glass container.
- Popular Science also notes that we should focus more on the systemic solutions rather than the daily choices of the individuals, which will have "a very marginal impact on this issue."
Weber, Harri. “Plastic Makers Lied about Recycling for Decades. What Do We Do Next?” _Popular Science_, 28 Feb. 2024, www.popsci.com/environment/recycling-lies/.
