Pollution in New York City

Pollution in New York City

Olive Raymond
November 10, 2017

New York City is an extremely polluted city. The environmental toll it takes is posing a threat to the health of all that lives in it. It is important for people to be aware of how bad littering and exhaust is, and how beneficial recycling really is.

Air pollution is a constant and significant threat to the plants, animals, and people of NYC. Car exhaust is a major contributor to air pollution.
In New York City, people dispose of up to 9.37 billion plastic bags every year, most of which are not recycled. When plastic bags are not disposed of, they can clog up drains on the street, and many of them litter the New York beaches. 7.5% of the waste made in NYC consists of plastic film such as plastic bags.
New York City has very strict regulations on protecting trees, yet people still dispose of their trash directly onto the trees, harming their growth.
Benson Scrap Metal and other companies around the city save a lot of fossil fuels by reusing old metal.
The Gowanus Canal is one of the most contaminated places in New York City. Sewage, chemicals, and litter flow throughout the waterway.
Pollutants from nearby corporations in the Gowanus Canal.
Plants in NYC are polluted by litter and garbage.
Future Green Studio is a landscape design firm in Brooklyn, a company aware of the changing climate and environment. Ironically, this plant box of theirs is filled with trash.
Recycling is a very helpful tool, as it stops trash from going to landfills. Landfills produce 36% of all methane emissions in the US, methane being one of the worst gases for our atmosphere.
In New York City alone, residents produce around 12,000 tons of trash in one day. Our garbage is either burned, buried, recycled, or sent away to landfills elsewhere.