{"id":6031,"date":"2019-07-09T23:59:49","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T03:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/?p=6031"},"modified":"2019-07-11T17:23:44","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T21:23:44","slug":"microplastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/2019\/07\/microplastics\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about “microplastics”"},"content":{"rendered":"

I went from being an enthusiastic recycler, to someone who now obsesses about the environment. No, you don’t understand.\u00a0 I lose sleep over the fact that our planet is hurting and so many of us aren’t willing to make small changes.\u00a0 Being a mom makes me even more crazy about the environment, plastics and now microplastics.<\/p>\n

The use of plastic in everyday products changed the way we live. The paper cups that we carry our coffee in, the stretchy clothes we wear, and the buses that we take to work all contain plastics. These plastics allow us to live our lives more conveniently. However, are we aware of the negative effects of our plastic obsession?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So I asked one of my students (the wonderfully talented Leanne Acosta) to enlighten us on the latest research behind plastics.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Leanne Acosta for taking the time to research and write this…<\/p>\n

The equivalent of 9.5 million tonnes of new plastic flow into our oceans every year<\/strong> (IUCN). To put that number into perspective, that\u2019s the equivalent of about 47,500 blue whales.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"microplastics\"<\/p>\n

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Plastic, plastic everywhere!<\/b><\/h2>\n

While at a birthday party yesterday for one of my son\u2019s preschool friends, I asked the host if I could get a glass of water. I was really thirsty; It was hot, and I had been running all over the place trying to keep my two-year-old from starting any more brawls (tip: never take a 2-year-old to a party if they\u2019ve missed a nap!). The host came over to me with a bottle of water. A wave of guilt came over me. As I considered drinking the water, I couldn\u2019t help but imagine plastic swirling around in there.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ is massive floating island of plastic, now 3 times the size of France. – source<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Plastics are one thing.\u00a0 But more Rrcently, the issue of microplastic contamination is all over the media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I started to do my research.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"microplastic\"<\/p>\n

The nitty gritty on microplastics<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are two types of microplastics: primary and secondary. Primary microplastics are defined as less than 5 millimeters in size. Secondary microplastics are slightly bigger, and once formed large pieces of plastics. We have been led to believe that ocean waste and littering are the main causes of our plastic-filled oceans; however, many of our household activities and products are culprits.<\/span><\/p>\n