We are in the midst of a plastic pollution crisis. National Geographic did some sleuthing and found that out of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that humanity has produced, 6.3 billion metric tons is now trash. Unfortunately, a lot of it doesn’t end up in landfills but instead in our natural environments. The ocean, particularly, is becoming a cesspool of straws, styrofoam, and single-use litter.
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The one silver lining out of all of this doom and gloom is that people are waking up to the problem. Things are shifting and it’s thanks to individuals like Rob Machado, Alison Teal, and others who are challenging us to rethink our lifestyle. Journalist Shelby Stranger recently sat down with this motivated group of advocates to learn more about how we can grapple with this dilemma. Stranger writes: "I wanted to draw attention to the problem and give people some tips on how they can reduce their personal waste."