Why plastic-free?

With the average person using 0.34 kg of plastic every single day, humanity produces an astonishing 460–500 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. To put that into perspective, that’s the weight of 3,700 to 4,000 Statues of Liberty (with pedestal and base) made entirely of plastic trash—every single year.

Unlike organic matter, plastics don’t break down into harmless byproducts like CO₂ or water. The very properties that make plastics so useful—durability, flexibility, and resistance to degradation—become deeply problematic after disposal. Instead of disappearing, plastics simply fragment into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming what we call microplastics (MPs, <5 mm).

 

Over time, these MPs can be inhaled or ingested by animals and humans, where they may lodge in tissues, trigger inflammation, and cause long-term health risks. Even worse, plastics act like sponges in the environment—absorbing heavy metals and “forever chemicals” like PFAS, which they then transfer to any organism unlucky enough to consume them.

 

With only about 10% of plastics ever recycled, our plastic future looks grim unless we choose a different path. But here’s the paradox: plastics are also woven into the fabric of our daily lives. They keep blood sterile in hospitals, extend the shelf life of food, and provide unparalleled convenience.

 

This love–hate relationship with plastics is at the heart of our mission. At Plastic-Free Pals, we empower students and adults alike to understand the plastic problem and discover how everyday lifestyle changes and collective action can help turn the tide against plastic pollution.

Learn More - MPs in the Soil (ArcGIS Storymap)
Summer with Future Environmental Stewards at Cobbs Creek

 

Spending a summer with these hopeful young scientists—teaching them to think critically, ask questions, and investigate like researchers—was more than worth the effort. 

 

This summer, 30 high school students embarked on an exciting eight-week enrichment program at the Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Center (CCEEC). The program was designed to inspire students to become environmental stewards within the living classroom we call Cobbs Creek. As part of the program, my team and I led a week-long citizen science curriculum focused on plastics, which included land and water trash cleanups, microplastic sampling, and a mobile lab where students processed and visualized microplastic pollutants.

 

Trash Pick up with the team (Ft Christy Nichols - Research Expertience for Teachers (RET))

 

Day 1: Land Trash Pickup

On our first day, we split into four teams and scoured the creekside to clean up the park. Students learned how to map and record the quantity and types of trash in their assigned areas, giving them insight into how different environments accumulate waste.

Together, we collected 38 pounds of trash, which included shovel heads, flashlights, countless single-use plastics, and other abandoned items.

 

 

Day 2: Creek Trash Pickup

The next day, armed with waders and boots, students entered the creek itself. In teams, they collected trash and water samples from four different regions to compare local variability.

The results shocked us: 210 pounds of trash were removed from the creek—nearly six times more than what we found on land. Alongside single-use plastics, we uncovered a large number of vapes and cartridges, and even a discarded bicycle frame. This powerful moment showed students firsthand how irresponsibly discarded trash is carried by water into environmental sinks. (The lesson was even timelier, as Philadelphia’s sanitation union strike that week left trash piling up across the city.)

 

Map of Cobbs Creek with respective trash picked up at different regions - Land (blue) & Creek (orange)

 

Day 3: Mapping with ArcGIS

Using the spatial data collected, students discovered that trash density varied across sites. Surprisingly, locations #1 and #2, which were closer to heavy foot traffic, had less trash than Naylor’s Run (#3) and the downstream confluence (#4).

The likely culprit? Illegal dumping—Naylor’s Run is easily accessible by car. Students collected 2L grab samples from these sites for in-lab microplastic analysis.

Lecture and briefing of "X marks the spot" Citizen science project by Dr. Derek Ho (aka. Dr. Microplastics)

 

Day 4: The Mobile Lab

With their water samples filtered onto lab paper, we transformed the classroom into a mobile microplastics lab. My team demonstrated how to stain microplastics with Nile Red dye and digest organic matter with Fenton’s reagent. Students were thrilled to take part—watching plastic particles fluoresce under blue light was a highlight of the week.

This hands-on experience helped students grasp the scope of the plastic pollution problem and, more importantly, see how scientific tools can be used to better understand and combat it.

Summer enrichment students learning about microplastics in the water samples they collected, processed and analyzed.

 

Final Day: Sharing the Results

On the last day, we presented our findings. Unsurprisingly, microplastics were everywhere. Yet one unexpected observation stood out: compared to previous results, the concentration of MPs had increased.

Together, we hypothesized that this was due to the creek’s water level being about 0.5 meters lower than before, which slowed flow and increased microplastic accumulation in hotspots. This highlighted the importance of spatial and temporal monitoring to better understand pollution baselines and identify hotspots. 

 

These students didn’t just pick up trash; they gained insight into how human activity impacts waterways and left with a deeper sense of stewardship for the environment. Watching them transform into citizen scientists gives me hope that the next generation will rise to meet the challenge of plastic pollution.