This just in, dee dee doo dee dee doo (that's news teletype noises, for you kids out there), today is No Plastic Day! I often get an eye rolling kind of reaction from people when I rail against plastic. So today sounds like a good day to explain, WHY no plastic?
First of all, I fully acknowledge that plastic has its place in the world. No one wants to switch to glass IV bottles, or computer keyboards made out of cast iron. There are some applications for which plastic is the only reasonable solution. And if we could cut back our plastic consumption to JUST those situations, the world would be a much better place.
However, plastic has insinuated itself into every corner of our lives. And it has infiltrated our existence so stealthily that most people don't even notice plastic. It's like we have a blind spot where plastic is concerned. I took a No Waste Challenge back in 2009, and it really opened my eyes to all the plastic I encounter on a daily basis.
There are four basic problems with plastic. These problems in and of themselves aren't too big. But they are magnified by the sheer volume of plastic in our lives.
HEALTH
Plastic which touches food is a big problem. Plastics contain Bisphenol-A, which is known to be an endocrine disruptor. BPA can leech into the water in that bottled water, and into your canned goods. (Most people don't realize that all cans nowadays have a thin coating of BPA plastic inside.)
OIL
Plastic is a petroleum product. You know how outraged you are about the Louisiana oil spill? It's there in part because of your ceaseless appetite for plastic. Look around you right now and count all the plastic you can spot. It's all made from oil.
As hard as we're all trying to save gas, the gas that goes into your car is only part of the story. Is it really appropriate to be using oil to make all that stupid plastic?
WASTE
I figure about 75% of our daily plastic encounters are with single-use plastic. Someone dredged oil out of the ground, shipped it to a refinery, shipped it to a processing plant, ran a whole entire factory, and shipped it out to the stores. All that transportation back and forth, the energy used by the plants, the sheer manpower involved - all for something you unwrap and throw away. It's staggering!
I'm against single-use items as a matter of principle. And guess what? Most single-use items are made from plastic.
END GAME
Plastic recycles poorly, when it can be recycled at all. Recycling plastic requires a huge industry that emits so much toxic waste, you wouldn't believe it. Better, I should think, to avoid using it in the first place. (Everyone only remembers the last of the three Rs. The first two are Reduce and Reuse.)
Plastic fills up landfills in a hurry, and never breaks down. Plastic escapes from landfills and garbage cans and blows about. It fetches up in the canopies of trees, and tumbles into the ocean, where it chokes sea life.