Increasing plastic production worries environmental activists
October 27, 2025
Increasing plastic production worries environmental activists
As the plastic industry continues to grow, environmental leaders worry more of it will end up in our waterways and oceans.
Aidan Charron grew up near the ocean and developed a respect for nature. Now, he’s with the organization Earth Day, calling for a reduction in plastic production.
“Our plastic production is only increasing. It’s expected to triple in the next 20 or so years,” Charron said.
WATCH HERE“And if we keep going at the rates we’re going, we’re going to have more plastic in the ocean than there are fish in the ocean by 2050. Every fish they’re pulling out of the ocean right now has some kind of plastic in it,” he added.
Charron said it’s not just a problem in our oceans.
“There’s research that shows that every human that has been tested has plastic inside of them. The level completely depends on your environment and where you’re living,” he said.
What concerns Charron about finding plastic in fish and humans, is what goes into making plastic.
“There’s 16,000 different chemicals that go into it, leaving basically infinite possibilities. Of those 16,000 chemicals, 4,000 have been studied, 4,000 have been found to be harmful to human health,” Charron said.
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Charron points to studies about the impact of these chemicals.
“A lot of those chemicals have been associated with increased cancer risk as well as there’s some evidence pointing towards it causing deficiencies, especially when it comes to older people,” he said.
Charron said single use plastic is the worst. Try to eliminate that. If you want to reduce your exposure to plastic, Charron recommends a plastic audit.
Go room by room, see where you use plastic, and think of how you can reduce your use of it.
“You can’t make the change all at once,” Charron said. “I’ve tried to do it. It’s impossible to do it all at once, and my whole life has been against fighting plastic.”
Plastic is not all bad. It’s helped us progress in fields like construction, healthcare, transportation and packaging.
But if we want to see less plastic end up in rivers and oceans, remember to first reduce, then reuse, and finally, if possible, recycle.
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