Plastic Waste in Montana
Plastic is forever. It never breaks down. Not in landfills, not in the landscape, and not in us.
Researchers in 2019 found plastic in more than half of Montana's streams, including 35 fishing sites.
(The top three were the Big Pine campground on the Clark Fork River outside Missoula, the Little Blackfoot River fishing access site, and Yankee Jim on the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley).
Microplastics have also been detected in Flathead Lake, where they can interfere with the food web because animals like zooplankton and fish may eat them.
In 2021, microplastics were found in the stomachs of cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake.
The plastic waste we cannot see may be more dangerous than what we can.
As plastic ages, it breaks up into tiny fragments called microplastics, and tinier ones called nanoplastics. These are so small they evaporate into rain and blow around in dust.
As a result, microplastics have been found in every corner of the ecosystem, including Montana’s pristine waterways.
Microplastics contain all of the chemical additives found in ordinary plastic, many of which are highly hazardous and can cause cancer, interfere with hormones, and impact brain development.
Even litter that is properly disposed of can “escape” into the landscape.
Thousands of plastic bags have been seen covering the hills between Interstate 90 and the Missoula.
Plastic litter isn’t just ugly, it can also be fatal to livestock and wildlife.
Cattle, horses, and other ruminants can ingest plastic trash. When this happens, they can choke, suffocate, and develop intestinal blockages that kill them.
Young livestock are especially vulnerable. A colt may treat a plastic bag like a toy. Calves can become curious about the appearance and taste of plastic twine and film.
Plastic can find its way from farm to table.
Nearly 80% of meat and dairy products from farm animals tested by scientists in 2021 contained microplastics.
