Plastic seems to be everywhere in our daily lives — from the shopping bags we pack groceries in and storage containers we use for lunches and leftovers, to packaged products like beverage bottles (for water, juice, soda), cutlery, and Ziplock bags galore. The material is almost inescapable and will likely continue to be prevalent, however, education and awareness about plastic pollution and its effects on the environment and human health is a good start to combating its impacts.
In our upcoming special section, Home & Garden, I’m writing a story about plastic pollution, and I dive into how widespread the issue is for people in this country, including in shoreline communities along Lake Michigan. I had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Julie Peller, professor of chemistry at Valparaiso University in Indiana and executive director of the nonprofit “Plastic Reduction Alliance.” The nonprofit focuses on reducing plastic waste and sharing the latest research on the issue. It also builds partnerships, programs, and events to support cleaner, healthier communities by cutting plastic use and promoting safer materials.
For the last year, Peller’s been working with her students to collect small pieces of plastic from a very polluted sand path in Indiana that leads right to the lakeshore at the southern tip of Lake Michigan. She said they have collected well-over 50,000 pieces of plastic from the single sand path since the beach cleanup last year, finding mostly pre-production plastic pellets called nurdles. The pre-production microplastic, something the industry makes and ships, contributes greatly to marine pollution, among other environments. Peller said they’ve analyzed thousands of these lightweight plastic pieces that end up floating on the surface of water and getting mixed into the sand.
