us vs. the perils of plastic
Having only been in existence for a mere 60-70 years, plastic is one of the most detrimental frontrunners of the climate crisis, materially speaking.
The average plastic water bottle, coffee pod or solo cup will take 450-500 years to break down. No single piece of plastic that has ever been produced in history will break down in our lifetimes - or our kids, or their kids, or their kid's kids' lifetimes, for that matter.
That Coca-Cola at the gas station hits a little different with this in mind, right? The trick is, that's the easy change.
The difficult changes are in the most eco-unfriendly plastics of all; the stuff that we are conditioned to buy a certain way and are more challenging to avoid. These things are items like plastic wrap, yogurt containers, microwavable containers, straws (labeled PP #5P).
important: it’s not your fault.
Ultimately, it should be the responsibility of a manufacturer to not create something in which they know from the start there is no future use other than that singular purchase - and with Coca Cola’s net margin 25.28% on a $1.99 bottle; they’re choosing do it all for just fifty cents in profit.
Do you see how It’s not your fault?
(Although these plastic statistics can feel grim, we have to raise our collective voice to change the trajectory. And, we provide a plethora of resources + tips below to help.)
This doesn’t provide carte blanche to buy the plastic - but it does validate that although individuals should control their own consumption by saying NO to plastic where they can (especially single use); we must demand better from the brands we support, too. Or, stop supporting brands which ultimately don’t support us and our collective future.
4,320,000,000 bottles a day
An astonishing 91% of plastics are not recyclable - and in 1 singular minute, 3 million plastic bottles are sold worldwide. For those of you doing the math, that's 4,320,000,000 plastic bottles per day. Yes, that is four billion, three hundred twenty million a day.
So much plastic is being put into our oceans that marine animals + birds are ingesting plastic micro beads at a rate in which is causing mass extinction. When humans eat anything from the ocean, the likelihood that we are ingesting the same plastic they are is undeniable.
Further, 83% of water samples contain plastic. Since plastic is so new, the repercussions of this are yet unknown - both from a health + environmental perspective.
When traveling to other countries, understand + look into their recycling practices. Places like Mexico, for example, which highly recommends bottled water, doesn’t have a recycling program for these bottles. In fact, A study released last year by the Inter-American Development Bank found that the population of Mexico used the equivalent of 127 gallons of bottled water per person a year, more than four times the bottled-water consumption in the United States and more than any country surveyed. We know this is due to the popularity of Mexican tourism but likely will affect residents in the long term.
plastic needs governance
Ultimately, governments are also responsible for prioritizing and providing recycling solutions to their constituents - and if it’s unsafe the drink the water somewhere, that is a case for plastic water bottles - but should not be an excuse for those manufacturers who benefit not to be innovating on their materiality (create from post consumer recycled plastic and create plastic buyback programs so as to take responsibility for your actions).
Going zero plastic is difficult, that is without question. In our home, we are still trying to navigate how to cut down on our consumption, as some otherwise incredibly mindful products still utilize plastic for their packaging. The biggest misnomer is that all plastic is recyclable. Remember the only good plastic is no plastic and although it's very challenging to go cold turkey - just being aware of this information is a great first step in reassessing your consumption relative to this daunting material.
plastic-free resources to inspire:
How To Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum
8+ Ways To Go Zero Waste Without Spending Money
100 Steps To A Plastic Free Life
The Lifehacker's Guide to Living with Less Plastic (The Ultimate Cheat Sheet)
23 Simple Ways To Go Plastic Free
Terracycle Recycling Solutions
Ethically - Chrome Extension, Gives Sustainability Scores While You Shop
Confronting the Reality of Inequitable Access to Recycling
Sign Up For Greenpeace Break Free From Plastic Campaign
No plastic policies at large scale events should absolutely be the norm by now. Regardless of any price, ease or other related argument - the cost of brand reputation relative to the misuse of massive amounts of plastic during your event can also last a devastatingly long time.
