Plastic has become an integral part of human civilization, and I imagine the beings who outlive or come after us will study humans and how plastic was our demise. Asian countries have ended the agreement to take Western trash. If every country lived and produced trash the way America does, we would need three or four Earths.

Living plastic-free is no longer a suggested way of life, but is required if we want a future for our children.

This approach to resources as limitless and the love for disposable things is characteristic to Western imperialism and colonization. After all, if all lands are yours, are resources ever really limited? But, the east has been criticized for being "dirty" simply because they have been taking someone else's trash.

So what do we do now that our trash is our responsibility? What does this mean for America's habits as a society?

America will have to take more eco-friendly decisions, if business does not take priority. America, feeling the figurative weight of all that waste, in turn will take further steps to change habits.

It is ingrained in us to use disposable things without thinking twice. We use plastic toothbrushes instead of wooden ones. We package fruit at the grocery store in plastic bags when they already have peels and outer coverings. We use plastic for decorative ornaments, hair accessories, practically everything. Companies manufacture plastic as its the cheapest, simultaneously durable material for them to produce on a massive scale. Their goal is profit, and are never held accountable for the impact their actions have on the environment, much less on the exploited people in the developing world.

While cleaning up on campus during a volunteer assignment, I realized that young college students are just as guilty and reckless when it comes to waste. For a demographic known to be passionate activists for the planet, they also live an extremely harmful lifestyle filled with plastic solo cups, random water bottles, Juul pods, and such strewn on the ground. We must be able to practice what we preach, if anyone is to take us seriously.

Plastic has taken over our planet, and is visibly impacting sea life. Take action now and make changes in your daily life, because America can no longer hide behind the burden of Asian countries. Our trash is ours now, forever and always.