Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong’s Plastic People exposes the problems presented by plastic production and pollution in the world today. Fortunately, there is a glimmer of hope. Some solutions are afloat  in this time of crisis. Rick Smith ( Slow Death by Rubber Duck ) is confident that society can solve pollution problems . Previous generations were exposed to pollutants that ceased to exist once the health costs became clear. Banning certain chemicals improved population health. But can we do...

As shown in Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong’s Plastic People, national and community-scale decisions and  bans on plastics can be effective. In Rwanda, Juliet Kabera*, Director General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, discusses their 2004 nation-wide implementation of an effective plastic carrier bag ban. This was followed by a law against polythene bags in 2008. The next step is curtailing use of other single-use plastic items  including straws, plates and cutlery.  The issue with...

Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong’s evocative documentary Plastic People covers a range of the impacts of plastic pollution on our bodies. Professor Dick Vethaak* states that not only do microplastics affect the health of animals, plants and the environment, but also our own health -  if one component is affected by microplastics, it also affects the health of humans. According to Vethaak, this impact on human health includes a higher probability of cancer development  later in life as well as low...