TalkoftheTown: Let’s take microplastics off the menu

Take microplastics off the menu

With (the holidays approaching), many of us are looking forward to eating all of the classic holiday foods — turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and some pie. But there may be something unexpected on the menu too: microplastics.

Microplastics are bits of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters. They fall off degrading plastics and can end up in water sources, plants and animals. The problem is, we eat and drink those things.

You may have heard the statistic that we consume a credit card’s worth of plastic every week. In recent years microplastics have been found in human blood, placentas and brain tissue.

While the health impacts of microplastics on humans are still being investigated, scientists have linked the chemicals found in many plastics to impaired learning, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

This is why it is important for us to start reducing our plastic waste now. One major way to do that is by banning plastic bags.

According to the EPA, the U.S. produces 4.2 million tons of plastic bags, sacks and wraps per year. Only 10% of that is recycled. The average American uses upwards of 300 plastic bags every year, each weighing about 6 grams. Albuquerque is a city of almost 600,000 people, if we stopped using plastic bags we could prevent up to 2.3 million pounds of plastic waste — the equivalent weight of 13 fully-loaded Boeing 737 airplanes.

Albuquerque did put a retail plastic bag ban into place on Jan. 1, 2020. It was suspended soon after due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in 2022, the Albuquerque City Council voted to repeal the ban based on the argument that the ban imposed extra expenses on businesses and shoppers.

It’s true that there would be a bit of an adjustment if a ban were reenacted. There would need to be a transition period for businesses to phase out single-use bags, and we would need to get used to remembering to bring reusable bags with us when we go to the store. But it’s both worth the effort and doable — over 500 cities and towns in the country have successfully banned most plastic bags in retail, including Santa Fe and Las Cruces.

One common concern is that the costs of providing non-plastic bags would negatively impact businesses. But in Las Cruces, stores can offer paper bags for 10 cents, and half of the profits from those sales go to offsetting the cost.

None of us like seeing plastic bags littering the side of the road or our natural outdoor spaces, and none of us like the idea of microplastics in our bodies, affecting us in ways that are still yet to be fully discovered.

So how can you get involved? I encourage you to contact your city councilor and tell them why you’re concerned about plastic pollution and microplastics. Even without a ban in place, you can also start bringing cloth bags with you to the store or reusing any plastic bags that you currently have, encouraging friends and family to do the same.

SUNAINA MCKEE

Albuquerque

Lobos highlight New Mexican possibilities

I was, and still am, a big fan of the New Mexico Lobos men’s teams. All their names, including Alex Kirk and Tony Snell, were memorized when I was a young girl.

It was so encouraging watching the men’s tournaments last year … Reading articles like “Former Lobo teammates Snell (Team USA) and Kirk (Team Japan) fare well in international games” (Nov. 28, Sports) makes my New Mexican heart happy.

Reading this article reassured me that just because I am from New Mexico doesn’t mean I don’t have a future. Snell used his New Mexico college basketball experience as a steppingstone to the NBA, being a nine-year veteran, and now reps a USA jersey. Likewise, Kirk graduated from a small-town school in northern New Mexico and has progressed into playing in a national league.

As a graduate of a small-town school in central New Mexico and a Lobo fan, this was an inspiring article to read.

There is proof everywhere that if you apply yourself to the opportunities, big or small, you never know what they may lead to. Snell and Kirk are two examples.

NAOMI MARTINEZ

Corrales