America's iconic national parks are drowning in plastic.
A new report by the 5 Gyres Institute, an environmental nonprofit focused on reducing plastic use, found single-use plastics piling up across our public lands in shocking numbers.
What's happening is nothing short of an environmental crisis unfolding across the postcard backdrops so core to our nation's identity.
What's happening?
The 2023 report, based on the TrashBlitz research platform, analyzed litter collected through 199 cleanup events held over 30 national park service units, including Yosemite National Park, Glacier National Park, the Assateague Island National Seashore, and more. It found over 8,000 pieces of trash, 66% of which contained plastic. Food containers, beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps, and straws were among the top offenders.
With plastics able to break down into tiny pieces over time, a startling 25% of all debris collected existed as plastic fragments, which can severely harm ecosystems, especially when swallowed by wildlife.
Why is plastic pollution important?
National parks protect vital habitats and ecosystems essential to mitigating rising global temperatures. Plastics leaking into these environments contribute to biodiversity loss and release toxic, heat-trapping gases like carbon as they break down.
Ultimately, plastic pollution threatens to irreversibly damage the web of life that national parks were created to preserve.
"The TrashBlitz data underscores the need for an urgent shift away from the sale and distribution of single-use plastics in national parks," the 5 Gyres Institute said of the study.
What's being done to stop plastic pollution?
In 2011, a National Park Service policy significantly reduced plastic bottle waste in parks by ending their sale, but it was, unfortunately, reversed in 2017, as NPR reported. New legislation proposed in 2021 called the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act seeks to bring this back, while a recent Secretarial Order directs bureaus to phase out single-use plastics in national parks by 2032.
The TrashBlitz report puts forth clear recommendations to accelerate progress, including passing strong legislation, adding public water stations, requiring reusables for on-site dining, and expanding annual waste audits across national parks.
Every one of us holds power through the choices we make each day. We can opt for reusable water bottles over wasteful plastic ones, urge companies to reduce plastic packaging, and push representatives to pass laws protecting our common backyard.
Our national parks show us the world's natural beauty. It's on us to ensure it's beauty we leave intact.
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