Want to halt plastics pollution in WNC? Think globally, act locally.
Did you know that Americans use 100 billion plastic bags each year, and, on average, we use them for only 12 minutes? It’s true.
And once a plastic bag is thrown away, it takes 500 years to degrade. However, it never really goes away. Instead, each plastic bag breaks down into millions of smaller and smaller particles called microplastics.
These microscopic pieces of plastic are everywhere — from dust particles in the atmosphere to the deepest parts of the ocean. You breathe in and consume approximately one credit card’s worth of microplastics each week, and the health effects of this are largely unknown.
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We’re working to reduce the amount of plastics making their way into the environment. Will you lend a hand in the fight against plastics? Donate today.
Many of us are familiar with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and plastics in our oceans, but plastics are a growing problem in the rivers of Western North Carolina. MountainTrue has been taking regular water samples from watersheds throughout our region for the past couple of years. Early data shows 15-20 pieces of microplastics per liter in the French Broad River and 7-13 pieces per liter in the Watauga River. These results are among the highest on record for plastic pollution in rivers.
Plastic pollution is a global problem, but we all have to be part of the solution. That’s why MountainTrue is taking a multi-faceted approach:
In Asheville and Buncombe County, we’re pushing for an outright ban on plastic bags, styrofoam, plastic straws, coffee stirrers, and cup lids.
In Hendersonville, we’re partnering with the City and local businesses on the “Working to be Plastic Free” program to help businesses voluntarily transition away from one-time-use plastics such as plastic bags, straws, and takeout containers.
In Boone, as in other parts of our region, we’ve deployed a Trash Trout to collect litter already in the waterway. We collect the trash each week, sort it, and catalog it to inform future advocacy.
And in Raleigh, we’re advocating for state-wide legislation to ban plastic bags and plastics and styrofoam in food service.
MountainTrue volunteer Erica Shanks poses with garbage, mostly plastic, collected from the Green River.
One week’s worth of plastic collected in our Winkler Creek Trash Trout near Boone, NC .
A microfiber from one of our water samples viewed through a microscope in our lab.
This is just the beginning, but it already represents a significant expansion of our water quality work. To succeed, we need your help and support.
Your support today will help pay for testing equipment, public awareness efforts, lobbying trips to Raleigh, and more. We need these investments to effectively advocate for policies that protect the health and environment of the people and places we all love.
Donate today, and visit mountaintrue.org/plastic-free-wnc to take action. With your help, we can stop plastics at the source.