Kwi-pantheon yezizathu ezilahlekileyo, ukukhusela ingxowa yegrosari yeplastiki kuya kubonakala ngathi kulungile kunye nokuxhasa ukutshaya kwiinqwelomoya okanye ukubulawa kwabantwana.Ibhegi emhlophe ecekethekileyo efumaneka kuyo yonke indawo ihambe ngokuthe kratya ngaphaya kwamehlo ukuya kwindawo yenkathazo yoluntu, uphawu lwenkunkuma kunye nokugqithisa kunye nokutshatyalaliswa okukhulayo kwendalo.Kodwa apho kukho imboni esemngciphekweni, kukho ummeli, kunye nommeli oyintloko wengxowa yeplastiki nguStephen L. Joseph, intloko ye-quixotically ebizwa ngokuthi Gcina i-Plastic Bag campaign.

Kutshanje, uJoseph kunye nesizathu sakhe baye bathatha amathontsi ambalwa.NgoLwesibini odlulileyo, iLos Angeles yaba sesona sixeko sakutsha nje saseMelika sokuma ngokuchasene nebhegi, xa ibhunga lesixeko savota ngamxhelo mnye ukuvala iplastiki kuzo zonke iivenkile ezinkulu kunye neevenkile ezithengisa ngo-2010 ukuba umrhumo welizwe jikelele kwiingxowa awuzange ubekwe ngu. ngoko.(Kuqikelelwa ukuba iLos Angeles isebenzisa i-2 yeebhiliyoni zeengxowa zeplastiki ngonyaka, kuphela i-5% yazo iphinda isetyenziswe kwakhona.) UJoseph wayefake isimangalo ngokuchasene neLos Angeles County ngenxa yokuba ayizange ilungiselele iNgxelo yeMpembelelo yokuSingqongileyo malunga nokuvinjelwa kweengxowa njengoko. ifunwa ngumthetho waseCalifornia.

Kwinyanga ngaphambili, iManhattan Beach, Calif., Yamkela ummiselo ofanayo, naphezu kwenkcaso kaJoseph kunye nokuqhuba okusemthethweni.Kwaye ngoJulayi ophelileyo, isixeko sasekhaya sikaJoseph eSan Francisco saba sisixeko sokuqala saseMelika ukunyanzelisa ukuvalwa.(UJoseph ebekwityala kuphela ukusukela ngoJuni, ngoko ke akukho kholamu yakhe.)

Owayesakuba ngummeli waseWashington, owazalelwa eNgilani kwaye ngokuthandabuza unika iminyaka yakhe engama-50-into, uyavuma ukuba lidabi elinyukayo elizama ukuphucula umfanekiso wento yokulahla ebotshelelwe kuyo yonke into ukusuka ekufudumaleni kwehlabathi ukuya ekuxhomekeke kwioli kunye nokufa. zobomi baselwandle.Ngokukodwa eCalifornia.Ngokukodwa kwi-ultra-liberal Marin County.Kwamthatha ngaphezu konyaka emva kokuba abavelisi beengxowa beza bebiza ukuba bathathe unobangela.“Kulucelomngeni kakhulu ukulwa neentsomi kunye nolwazi olungelulo,” utshilo kwiofisi yakhe yaseTiburon, eCalif."Ndingumboniso womntu omnye."

Njengegqwetha, ungumsasazi olungileyo: ngo-2003 wamangalela i-Kraft Foods ukuthintela ukuthengiswa kwee-cookies ze-Oreo kubantwana abangaphantsi kweminyaka eyi-11 eCalifornia, ngenxa yokuba babezele ngamafutha.Ngoxa engazange aliphumelele idabi lasenkundleni, wayiphumelela ngokucacileyo imfazwe;Urhuluneli uArnold Schwarzenegger usayine i-anti-trans-fat bill ibe ngumthetho ngoJulayi 25. Ngaphambili, uJoseph wamangalela isebe lokupaka i-San Francisco ukuze i-arhente isuse i-graffiti kwiimpawu zayo, kwaye wayeyi-activist anti-litter.Igraffiti kunye nenkunkuma - kubandakanywa, yithi, iingxowa zokuthenga zeplastiki - zihlala, ngoko ubetha malunga ne-.300.

Angazixhasa njani iingxowa zeplastiki owayesakuba ngumlweli wokuchasa inkunkuma?UJoseph ubonisa, yaye ezinye iingcali ngemekobume ziyavuma, ukuba ngeendlela ezininzi iingxowa zephepha ziyingozi kwimekobume njengeeplastiki.Ngelixa iingxowa zephepha zibola, zikwakhupha imethane ngelixa zisenjenjalo.Nangona iingxowa zeplastiki ngamanye amaxesha zenziwe ngepetrochemicals, iingxowa zephepha zifuna amandla amaninzi ukuba zenziwe kwaye zisetyenziswe kwakhona.Ubungqina bokuba iingxowa zeplastiki zibulala ubomi baselwandle abuqinisekanga, kwaye kuyavunywa ngokubanzi ukuba i-detritus evela ekulobeni intengiso iyingozi kakhulu.UJoseph uthi: “Uphando lwam ngalo mbandela lundingqinele ukuba kukho into ehlekisayo eyenzekayo.“Amakhankaso achasene neengxowa zeplastiki akuphikiswana ngawo.Ifana nenkundla apho kungekho mntu umela elinye icala.”

Ngokuchasene nokusetyenziswa kweengxowa zokuthenga zelaphu, nangona kunjalo, okanye uhlobo lwentambo umakhulu wakhe anokuthi athathe ukuya kwisitalato esiphakamileyo, uJoseph uneengxabano ezimbalwa.Iingxowa zeplastiki zenza i-trash-can liners eziluncedo, uthi, okanye iindawo zokulahla inkunkuma yekati.Kwaye, ewe, zinokuphinda zisetyenziswe ukubamba ukuthenga.Ngaba uyayazi into endicinga ukuba yeyona ilungileyo ngabo?Ungatyhala malunga ne-12 kubo kwigumbi lakho leglavu.

Nangona ziphembelela iingxoxo zakhe, umsebenzi kaYosefu usenokuba ufana noCanute.NgoJuni, i-China yavala iivenkile kulo lonke ilizwe ekukhupheni iingxowa zeplastiki simahla kwaye yavala imveliso, ukuthengisa kunye nokusetyenziswa kwazo naziphi na iingxowa zeplastiki ezingaphantsi kwewaka le-intshi ubukhulu.I-Bhutan yavala iingxowa ngenxa yokuba ziphazamisa ulonwabo lwesizwe.I-Ireland inyanzelise umrhumo omkhulu weesenti ezingama-34 kwingxowa nganye esetyenziswayo.Zombini iUganda kunye neZanzibar zibathintele, njengoko kunjalo ngeelali ezingama-30 eAlaska.Amazwe amaninzi amisele okanye acinga ngemilinganiselo efanayo.

UJoseph usebenza nangona kunjalo, engonwabi ngumsinga okanye ukuba abamelwane bakhe baseMarin County kufuneka bacinge ntoni.“Ndixelele abantu abaninzi ukuba ndizama ukugcina iplastiki,” utshilo.“Bandijonga ngoloyiko.”Kodwa uthi hayi, khange abone ukwehla kwezimemo zesidlo sangokuhlwa.“Lo ayingomba webhakethi lasekhohlo okanye lasekunene.Imalunga nenyaniso.Kwaye ndizimisele ukuyibhalisa.”