Choose to reuse

In 1862, British chemist Alexander Parkes patented an invention that would change the world (Science Museum). His creation was a groundbreaking innovation in consumer products and manufacturing. But today, it has become one of the greatest threats to the future of our planet. Parkes had created the first semi-synthetic plastic, a material whose successors have been found in our water, our food, and even our bodies (Gerretsen). Isabelle Gerretsen, an environmental journalist for the BBC, remarks that “we may be consuming tiny fragments of plastic with almost every bite we take.” 

So, what are we supposed to do? It’s clear to see how terrible plastic is for the environment, but it’s also quite apparent how much we rely on it. The solution isn’t as simple as getting rid of plastic altogether. If the only way to combat plastic pollution was to completely cut plastic out, we would never get anywhere. Still, there are many places where plastic isn’t actually necessary. 

Think about all of the products you buy that come in plastic packaging. Shampoo, laundry detergent, toothpaste, soap, and so many more. These products are intended to be used and then thrown out. But think about how much plastic (and money) you could save if you could reuse your containers and simply fill them up each time they were empty. This is the exact idea behind Right on! Refillery, a refill and sustainable product store in downtown Los Altos that provides options for people to combat the growing issue of plastic pollution in their everyday lives.

Chapter one: Microplastics

Microplastics are synthetic plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size that do not biodegrade (Lee, Yongjin et al). As stated earlier, microplastics have been found inside of human bodies, in drinking water, and in food (Gerretsen). In fact, you yourself could be putting microplastics into the food you prepare. Did you know that plastic cutting boards can spread microplastics into food? Microplastics can also be spread to food when it is packaged in plastic (Habib, Rana Zeeshan et al).

But microplastics can enter food even before it gets packed up in plastic. Isabelle Gerretsen from the BBC covered the issue of microplastic pollution in crops. 

A major way microplastics infiltrate food is through sewage sludge, a type of organic fertilizer made from cleaned municipal wastewater. She reported that “In 2022, analysis by the Environmental Working Group, an environmental non-profit, found that sewage sludge has contaminated almost 20 million acres (80,937sq km) of US cropland” (Gerretsen). This contamination can have many negative effects on soil quality. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Soil contamination with microplastics can increase water evaporation, increase desiccation cracking, change the bulk density, decrease water stable aggregates, and alter microbial activity” (Prata and Dias-Pereira).

The idea of eating plastic is definitely unpleasant, but the significance of the issue really comes down to the ways plastic can harm ourselves and other organisms. Many of the dangers associated with microplastics are still unknown or being researched. Stephanie Dutchen covered many of the potential health impacts of microplastics in her article “Microplastics Everywhere”. One major factor contributing to the dangers of microplastics is their very small size. Through the use of models, scientists have discovered two different ways that microplastics are able to enter cells. Research also suggests that the inhalation of microplastics may lead to illnesses commonly caused by other forms of air pollution. Dutchen also covered the dangerous chemicals in and on microplastics such as BPA and heavy metals, substances which are linked to a variety of health problems.

Chapter two: Right on! Refillery

It is estimated that the world creates about 52 million metric tons of plastic pollution every year (Borenstein). Now that you know about the various dangers plastic poses, you’re probably wondering how we can work to bring this number down. Or, if it’s even possible to. Elizabeth Pyle, a science teacher who regularly practices sustainability, believes that current sustainability methods are effective, but that they might not be enough. Her reasoning? Too few people actually choose to practice them.

But how, in a world where we rely so much on plastic, can we cut back enough to make a change? This is the issue tackled by Right on! Refillery. Owner Emily Ting describes the store as “a way to eliminate the need to continually buy plastic bottles“ and “an opportunity to refill most of your household products, by weight, using bottles that you already own.” The process of buying from the refillery is simple: bring in your own empty container, purchase one from the store, or take one of the free containers donated by other customers. Then, you can fill it up with one of their many products. The price is determined by weight, so you can get as little or as much as you want. 

Refill stores and refilling bottles are not new concepts. Emily told me about her own history with refilling: “I grew up in Massachusetts and we were part of a co-op and, this is when I was a kid, you know 40 years ago, and we refilled things at our food co-op” (Ting). Emily thinks that even though refilling isn’t a new thing, we’ve moved so far away from it as a culture that it feels novel to people. As more refill stores such as Right on! Refillery open, the ability to reduce plastic waste by refilling gets much more accessible. 

Right on! Refillery doesn’t just stock bulk products for refilling, they also sell a variety of other sustainable products from local vendors. Emily told me about some of her favorite products, including a day and night facial cream from a San Jose woman-owned business called “Rebrand.” When I came to visit, she was preparing samples of “Dandelion Chocolate”, a San Francisco, ethically sourced chocolate company with eco-friendly packaging. The refillery also offers sustainability services beyond just things you can buy. Featured in the store are recycling boxes for specific products such as hygiene items, as well as various resources on recycling plastic in general.

When choosing vendors for the refillery, Emily takes care to ensure that “our products are all closed loop in how they’re being sent to us, and how we’re reusing containers, and how the vendor is reusing containers, and that the vendors also have priority for plastic free in their own supply chain” (Ting). Emily’s goal with her customers is to have them participate in a “closed loop”, too; containers getting continuously reused and refilled such that little to no waste ends up being produced. It’s for sure better than a loop of buying, using, and throwing away.

Chapter three: Sustainability

An important step to becoming sustainable is to understand what it actually means. Most people probably have a general idea of what the word “sustainability” refers to, but putting it into words brings a lot of clarity into the discussion of what we need to be doing to help the planet. Emily explained sustainability to me as being conscious of how your choices affect the world. As she puts it, “Thinking about what you do [and] how what you do impacts the world around you.” Ms. Pyle defined it in a more broad sense. Drawing from the root “sustain,”, she describes sustainability as acting in a way that can be “sustained” over a long period of time. This means making choices, such as reducing plastic waste, that will allow our planet to survive well into the future.

So, with sustainability becoming more important and easy to practice, the question remains as to why more people aren’t practicing it. I posed this question to both Emily and Ms. Pyle, and their answers were shockingly similar. As Ms. Pyle puts it, “A lot of people don’t have empathy as one of their top priorities of, well, what about a better world for the future generations, or me in 30 years? They think about right now, ‘I want to buy this plastic thing, and I want to throw it away, or I don’t care about using plastic water bottles’.” And according to Emily, the biggest threat to widespread sustainability is “convenience, and the fact that a lot of people are focused on that, and things like fast fashion, and Amazon and getting things quickly.” Oftentimes, being sustainable isn’t the most easy or convenient option. But for the future of our planet, it tends to be the best.

Conclusion

The future of plastic pollution and sustainability doesn’t have to be so hopeless. Even if it doesn’t seem like anybody else is trying, your actions are still important. Every bottle you choose to refill is one less bottle in a landfill or the ocean. And when you make the choice to live more sustainably, you’re influencing those around you to do the same. As Emily told me, ”When you do things as an individual and you make sustainable choices, your friends see it, your kids see it, [and] your peers see it” (Ting). Whether it be refilling containers, cutting back on single use plastic, or voting on sustainable legislation, protecting the environment is something we all have the power to do. 

Works Cited

“The Age of Plastic: From Parkesine to Pollution.” Science Museum, 11 Oct. 2019, www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/chemistry/age-plastic-parkesine-pollution. 

Borenstein, Seth. “The world creates 52 million tonnes of plastic pollution a year, study finds.” Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 5 Sept. 2024, p. A7. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A807297958/GIC?u=los42754&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=1dbbe0f0. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

Dutchen, Stephanie. “Microplastics Everywhere.” Harvard Medicine Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025, magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/microplastics-everywhere. 

Gerretsen, Isabelle. “How Microplastics Are Infiltrating the Food You Eat.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Jan. 2023, www.bbc.com/future/article/20230103-how-plastic-is-getting-into-our-food. 

Habib, Rana Zeeshan et al. “Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 19,20 13442. 18 Oct. 2022, doi:10.3390/ijerph192013442

“Learn about Sustainability .” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Oct. 2024, www.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what. 

Lee, Yongjin et al. “Health Effects of Microplastic Exposures: Current Issues and Perspectives in South Korea.” Yonsei medical journal vol. 64,5 (2023): 301-308. doi:10.3349/ymj.2023.0048

Prata, Joana C, and Patrícia Dias-Pereira. “Microplastics in Terrestrial Domestic Animals and Human Health: Implications for Food Security and Food Safety and Their Role as Sentinels.” Animals : an open access journal from MDPI vol. 13,4 661. 14 Feb. 2023, doi:10.3390/ani13040661

Pyle, Elizabeth. Personal interview. 28 February 2025.

Ting, Emily. Personal interview. 8 February 2025.

Note about the use of GenAI:

I did not use GenAI in any part of my process.