Hollywood, Florida is the first city in Broward County to have an official movement to ban plastics. This is a very important step towards stopping pollution in the district, especially as Hollywood Beach is an attraction that brings in crowds of people from all over the county. Visitors to Hollywood Beach often bring their single-use plastic (SUP) and garbage that eventually makes its way into the ocean, harming the wildlife and injuring animals.
“I believe that banning single-use plastics would drastically decrease pollution as well [as] the demand for plastic production, which is contributing to global climate change,” sophomore Ella Ferre Roberts said.
This ban is a step in the right direction as it will reduce the number of objects that can pollute the oceans and give sea animals clean waters to swim in. The detrimental effects of not having this ban are vast. SUPs, when in the ocean, can injure animals, and even those consumed by people. If this number of trash in the ocean continues to drastically increase, there will be little fish to eat and this will lead to overfishing on other beaches and create a ripple effect all over society.
“I believe that banning single-use plastics would drastically decrease pollution as well [as] the demand for plastic production, which is contributing to global climate change.”
Sophomore Ella Ferre Roberts
With Hollywood, Florida being home to ecologically diverse beach wildlife, this ban could save so many fish in the ocean. It is clearly the right way to go and is a momentous step in the right direction of saving South Florida from the overarching scare of climate change and pollution.
“I do think banning single-use plastic is the right way to start to clean up the environment because I believe it would be the most beneficial, in comparison to other methods such as beach cleanups or recycling,” junior Kayla Goldstein said. “I think we should ban single-use plastic because it is detrimental to the environment and can easily be replaced by other materials that can biodegrade much quicker.”
The problem with SUPs is that they take hundreds of years to break down. Most garbage will either end up in the ocean left to harm animals or accumulate in landfills to exude harmful gases in the air. They do not decompose for longer than 5 lifetimes. It makes people beg the question, why not do this plastic ban everywhere?
“Personally, I believe the US government should ban non 100% compostable single-use plastics.”
Senior Jake Glantz
“Personally, I believe the US government should ban non 100% compostable single-use plastics,” senior Jake Glantz said. “I believe with proper funding, via the federal government, this is a profitable and safe way to tackle the pollution issue America does indeed have.”
The reason why people do not want to ban plastic is because there will have to be an alternative, which means it will become costly. However, what is too high a price to save our planet from the evil that is pollution and climate change? What is a fair and reasonable change? With the track this county is on, it will lead to disastrous change if something dramatic is not done to save the environment.
These are necessary improvements that should all be taken to better society for future generations. Cities must act now, as the damage is already irreversible but making sure things do not worsen is the best option possible right now. Other cities must act by example and work towards the common goal of saving this planet.
Illustration by Sofie Kahlig
Photo courtesy of WLRN
Illustration by Sofie Kahlig
