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Earth's Cavities


Earth’s Cavities

Candy is a kid's fantasy. That exemplifies why we eat so much of it, but it doesn't explain why the wrappers end up on the street. If you walk around your block, you can find enough wrappers to wear. So let's take a look at the sour side of this sweet.
Halloween. We all know about it and all the candy we can get. Did you know 600 pounds of candy is bought in the season of Halloween in America? With all these wrappers there has to be a solution but still be able to celebrate Halloween, right? Well, there is! You can give out candy that is in boxes! Dots, Milk Duds, and Nerds all come in recyclable cardboard packaging. You can also buy your candy in bulk and make 'Mystery Bags’.

 Many candies are wrapped in plastic, and that plastic is made of lots. Bits of plastic, aluminum, and paper make up a candy wrapper. It's hard to recover all those materials to recycle. When these wrappers are thrown on the ground or in the garbage, it could take up to 2 decades (that's 20 years!) to decompose, and that's just for one candy wrapper.
You may be wondering why companies wrap candies in plastic if plastic pollution is such a big issue. Well, they do it because plastic is lightweight and cheap. It's cheap because of the exploitation of natural gas and petroleum.

 I conducted a survey asking my classmate's various questions and here are the responses. When asked where they throw the wrappers, 75% answered that they throw them in the garbage. 16.5% answered that they throw it in the recycling. One person answered that it depended on the size and material. When asked if they pick up garbage from the street 33.3% say that they never pick up litter. 41.6% say it depends. 25% say sometimes. Finally, I asked them if they stopped others from littering. 58.3% say that they do stop others from littering. 41.7% say that they don’t.

What's The Solution?

Some people are part of the change. Joe Hensel created a business called RES Polyflow. This business reuses mixed materials to produce everyday goods. Chips bags and candy wrappers can be made into gasoline, adhesives, household, and industrial cleaners and paint.

 Nestle, one of the biggest candy producers, has set a vision to make their product more eco-friendly. All 4,200 of the Nestle facilities have promised to eliminate all single-use plastics. They are trying to make biodegradable/compostable packaging in their Nestlé Institute for Packaging Sciences. Nestle has committed to phasing out plastics that are non-recyclable or hard to recycle plastics by 2025. They have also partnered with companies like Project STOP, Veolia and Danimier Scientific. All these companies have something in common, they want to help with plastic pollution and waste management.

 You don't need a degree to be the dentist for Earth's Cavities, so step up! Don't litter, buy candies in bulk or in cardboard boxes and stop others from littering. The candy might be delicious for you but the wrappers aren't, not for you or the environment.

 https://earth911.com/food/recycling-mysteries-candy-wrappers/ 
https://wastearoundtheworld.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/polyflow-a-new-way-to-view-waste/ 
https://www.myflowater.com/spooky-facts-about-plastic-pollution/
https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2016/2/24/earth-to-mars-stop-wrapping-candy-in-plastic
https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2018/10/24/zero-waste-tips-tricks-and-treats-for-halloween
https://www.nestle.com/csv/global-initiatives/zero-environmental-impact/packaging-plastic-pollution
https://www.nestle.com/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/nestle-action-tackle-plastic-waste

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