Research Log #1 - Solutionary Project 2020

Date: Name: Wayne Chun Fat

Essential Question: Should there be a nationwide ban on plastic

Three Points to Prove: #1: plastic is harmful to the environment #2: the waste of plastic is harmful
#3: the making of plastic can be harmful

Point that this Source Proves: # 1

Excerpts (These should provide insight into the Point to Prove):

The UN states that, “Very little of the plastic we discard every day is recycled or incinerated in waste-to-energy
facilities. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic
substances into the soil and water.”

The UN later goes on to state that, “The researchers conclude that, although little research has been carried out in this
area, the results to date are concerning: fragments of plastic are present practically all over the world and can trigger
many kinds of adverse effects.”

UN gives an example of how plastic pollution can be harmful by saying, “Moreover, the surfaces of tiny fragments of
plastic may carry disease-causing organisms and act as a vector for diseases in the environment.”

Analysis (How does this source support the Point to Prove?):

This article gives insight to the problems that occur when plastic is wasted. Plastic is durable material that is
very hard to breakdown. Given this information about the material, we only use plastics as a one-time use such as
water bottles and straws. 33% of all plastics end up in landfills. This leads to pollution and harm to the environment. In
fact, very little of the plastics that we use are actually recycled into new and reusable energy and products.
All of these factors leads to mass pollution. Because plastic is very hard to completely breakdown, it ends up
breaking down into small, miniscule fragments and pieces that can end up in our drinking water and animals. This is
very bad because this means that we are only polluting ourselves. This is also very harmful to wildlife because we are
seeing changes in patterns of animal’s lifestyles. Marine life is a big one as most plastic pollution ends up in our
oceans.
Because of how bad plastic pollution is our wildlife is suffering as well. Fish are, and have been, eating
plastics thinking its food, and then dying. This leads to polluted food and, in certain cases, dead zones. Dead zones are
areas in which there is no life. This is very bad for our ecosystem because this means it will be very hard to get back
the area and restore life to it, if we can even do that in the first place.
Work Cited (correct MLA format):
Un. “Plastic Planet: How Tiny Plastic Particles Are Polluting Our Soil.” UN Environment,
www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-planet-how-tiny-plastic-particles-are-polluting-our-soil.

This is a reputable and reliable article because it is from the UN.

 Research Log #2 - Solutionary Project 2020
Date:
Name:
Essential Question:

Three Points to Prove: #1:

#2:
#3: the chemical make-up of plastic is harmful

Point that this Source Proves: #3

Excerpts (These should provide insight into the Point to Prove):

Later in the article, Knoblauch goes on to say, “Next year, more than 300 million tons will be produced worldwide.
The amount of plastic manufactured in the first ten years of this century will approach the total produced in the entire
last century, according to the report.”

Knoblauch states that, “Evidence is mounting that the chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the
same components that might harm people and the environment.”

Knoblauch gives us insight on studies done and says, “Also, people with the highest exposure to BPA have an
increased rate of heart disease and diabetes, according to one recent study.”

Analysis (How does this source support the Point to Prove?):

This article supports my point because it talks about the production of plastics and how certain chemicals used
to make plastics are very dangerous. In the first part of the article, Knoblauch provides information on how much
plastic will be produced and compares it to years before. This article was written in 2009 and the plastic production
then was stated to be 300 million tons worldwide (during that year).
In the second part of the article, Knoblauch starts talking about the chemical make-up of plastics and the
certain chemicals used to produce them. The chemicals are very harmful to our bodies and can cause very serious
damage. BPA is the chemical that is most concerned. It can leak into our foods and drinks because plates and cans are
made of this. BPA has been linked to cause diabetes type 2, heart problems, and infertility in men and women.
All of these things are very harmful to our ecosystem and bodies. Other chemicals such as flammable
retardants are used to keep plastic from burning easily. It is essentially a unbreakable material by natural means. This
makes it very dangerous for us because as time goes on, more plastic is being made. At the same time, this means more
plastic is being wasted and put into our landfills, polluting us even more

Work Cited (correct MLA format):

Knoblauch, Jessica A. “Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and
Human Health.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 2 July 2009,
www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-not-so-fantastic/.

This is a reputable and reliable article because it is a trustworthy site.

 Research Log #3 - Solutionary Project 2020
Date:
Name:
Essential Question:

Three Points to Prove: #1: to much plastic is wasted

#2: waste of resources being used to produce plastic
#3:

Point that this Source Proves: #1

Excerpts (These should provide insight into the Point to Prove):

Laura Parker introduces the topic of plastic waste by stating, “Even the scientists who set out to conduct the world’s
first tally of how much plastic has been produced, discarded, burned or put in landfills, were horrified by the sheer size
of the numbers.”

Parker gives us insight to the true numbers; “Plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, so most of it still exists in
some form. Only 12 percent has been incinerated.”

Parker provides us a projected number calculated by researchers; “If present trends continue, by 2050, there will be 12
billion metric tons of plastic in landfills. That amount is 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.”

Analysis (How does this source support the Point to Prove?):

This source provides ample information to prove my point. Parker gives statistics on how much plastic there is
and how much of it is being wasted. In the article she talks about how shocked researchers were when they first tallied
up numbers concerning how much plastic was being produced and how much ended up in landfills. Plastic is being
wasted and being put into landfills and is harming us.
The article goes on to say there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills by the years 2050, if trends
continue. That is 35,000 times as heavy the Empire State Building. Researchers are trying to do everything they can to
prevent this from happening and are looking into ways to better manage the production of plastics.
Nearing the end of the article, Parker discusses how plastic is such a big problem that it would have to be
approached globally. It is not only the U.S. that has these plastic landfills and mass pollution. Places like in Asia have
very bad water because plastic and waste. They have very polluted water and it is very hard to find clean water. If the
trends keep going, nowhere will have clean water.

Work Cited (correct MLA format):

Dufour, Fred. “A Whopping 91% of Plastic Isn't Recycled.” National Geographic, 20 Dec. 2018,
www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-
environment/#close.

This is a reputable and reliable article because National Geographic is a very well-known source and is a trusted
website.