By Shanelle Maksud Every year, New York City collects over 36 million pounds of plastic waste, much of it littering streets, parks, and waterways—turning the city that never sleeps into a city buried in trash. From discarded bags on sidewalks to bottles clogging waterways, single-use plastics have a noticeable impact on the city’s aesthetics. This pollution also ties deeply into the city’s economy, disproportionately affecting low-income neighborhoods. Understanding how single-use plastics harm both the beauty and economics of NYC is important in addressing this growing issue and creating a cleaner, fairer environment. Economic Disparities in Waste Management There being a disparity between neighborhoods in NYC demonstrates that the economic burden…

By Shanelle Maksud Plastic, once celebrated as a miracle material in post-war New York City, has now become one of the city’s biggest environmental threats. How did our love for single-use plastic turn into a crisis? In a city that’s as active as New York, small choices add up leading to a plastic pollution problem decades in the making. Today, the overuse of single-use plastics has left New York’s waterways, streets, and landfills overloaded with waste, posting a major challenge to city officials and citizens. Early Use of Plastics in NYC Initially, plastic was seen as an innovation that allowed people to enjoy convenience in a city where time and…