This day in age, nearly everything is plastic. Humans produce around 300 million tons of plastic annually, and there is no sign of that number decreasing anytime soon. In fact, we find so many uses for plastic, that in some scenarios, it is only used for a few minutes. Half of plastic waste is single-use, for example, plastic bags, cups, bottles, etc. This means that for each disposal of a single-use plastic product, the waste remains on Earth anywhere from 10 to 1,000 years. Each time you unwrap a pack of utensils or open a new toothbrush, the plastic you throw away can pollute the earth for an entire millennium.This begs the question: why plastic? Aren't there alternatives that are better for the environment? The answer is obvious. Plastic is extremely cheap. Plastic pellets are sold to producers for desirably low prices because they are a byproduct of oil, and the oil companies have no use for this plastic waste. A plastic bag costs 1 cent or less to produce compared to the 4 cents it costs to make a paper bag. However, at large, this expense adds up and plastic makes a lot more sense for companies to minimize cost and maximize profit. Additionally, plastic much more flexible and holds up better than cardboard or paper does, so it won't rip as easily. These benefits make plastic all the more desirable for consumers and producers alike.
Luckily, people are beginning to realize the real costs of plastic and many people are trying to reduce their plastic waste and investing in reusable items. Next time you choose to buy a plastic bag for 15 cents instead of a reusable bag for $2.00 think about how much that plastic bag will actually cost.
Source
https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/weekinreview/01basics.html
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/health/microplastics-ingestion-wwf-study-scn-intl/index.html
Plastic pollution is a major problem that we are currently facing. Like you said, businesses use plastic due to how cheap it is even though it has catastrophic environmental impacts. Much like the government did for coal pollution, I believe that the government needs to put taxes or restrictions on how much plastic companies can use and provide subsidies for companies that use alternatives.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to decrease the amount of plastic usage is to make it cheaper to use alternatives to plastic. This can be done through government subsidy and taxation on plastics. Unfortunately most companies prioritize profit over the cost of environmental destruction. This method will be the most effective because it will maximize profit for the companies while decreasing plastic pollution. If the government follows through it will be a win for the companies and for the environment.
ReplyDeletePeople sometimes do not realize there is a cost with everything and trade offs must be made. For example, single use plastic straws have an adverse effect on the environment as they cannot be recycled and end up polluting our earth or oceans. However, manufacturing a metal straw is very energy intensive and releases a lot more carbon dioxide than manufacturing a plastic straw. Researchers estimate that to break even on the environmental costs of a metal straw, it would have to be used over 150 times. On the same thread, reusable grocery bags use more material and energy to produce. People need to reuse their grocery bags between 35 and 20,000 times depending on the material to negate the effect of using a plastic bag. It's great that people are considering there seemingly more eco-friendly options. But if people do not really reuse these things, they may end up causing more damage to the environment. Carbon emissions are not accurately represented in the costs of metal straws and reusable bags, allowing for lower prices and thus greater demand.
ReplyDeleteSources: https://esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/are-metal-straws-bad-for-the-environment-a00293-20190815, https://qz.com/1585027/when-it-comes-to-climate-change-cotton-totes-might-be-worse-than-plastic/, https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/metal-straws-and-reusable-bags-may-not-be-eco-friendly-you-think
It's quite interesting to consider how economic laws act in our environment. The alternative opportunity cost of industrial development had greatly harm our living environment. Though we get convenient services from using plastic products, for instance, saving time to wash non-plastic daily use, we are costing the natural resources for our future needs.
ReplyDelete