SPSA Paragraph

Writing for engineers 

03/23/2026

Reducing Plastic Waste is important to city college students. Plastic waste is a huge problem in New York, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Matthews, A. (2026, February 20). School shootings in the US: Fast facts. CNN.  New York produces 742 million single-use bottles and 20,000 tons of plastic foodware. This plastic waste problem is huge and will continue to grow if we don’t work to lower these numbers. Plastic waste contaminates our waters and can degrade the quality of human life. Although CCNY is fairly clean, we must all work together to ensure our communities are clean and healthy. Plastic waste and our efforts to reduce it are important because they can affect future generations. We must continue to raise awareness about plastic waste and find ways to stop it. 

Thoughts??

Reducing plastic waste is important to City College students. Plastic waste is a major problem in New York City, where residents produce around 12,000 tons of waste every day, and only about 17% of it is recycled (Zhu 502; GrowNYC). In addition, New Yorkers discard more than 742 million single-use plastic bottles each year (NY Post). More than 20,000 tons of plastic are discarded annually, and much of it ends up in landfills or waterways (NRDC). This plastic waste contaminates water systems and harms environmental quality, which negatively impacts human health. Although CCNY may appear relatively clean, students still contribute to this broader issue through everyday habits such as using single-use plastic bottles, takeout containers, and plastic utensils, which accumulate quickly and add to the city’s overall waste problem. Plastic waste and efforts to reduce it are important because they affect future generations. This means that students must raise awareness and adopt sustainable habits such as using reusable bottles and reducing single-use plastics.

GrowNYC. “Recycling Facts.” GrowNYC.https://grownyc.org/farmers-producers

“New Bill Would Block NYC from Buying Single-Use Water Bottles.” New York Post, 13 Apr. 2024.https://nypost.com/2024/04/13/us-news/new-bill-would-block-nyc-from-buying-single-use-water-bottlesNatural Resources Defense Council. “War on Plastic Waste in New York City.” NRDC.https://www.nrdc.org/bio/eric-goldstein/war-plastic-waste-new-york-city-council-strikes-blow