Plastic is not a sustainable material, it is toxic to produce, it is even more expensive to recycle plastic than it is to produce it and when we can’t recycle it, there is no way to properly dispose of it. 

MYTH: Plastic Use is Decreasing

Think about the last thing you bought. Was it packaged in plastic? Did you take it home in a plastic bag? Is it made of plastic? The answer is most likely yes to at least 2 of those questions. Plastic is thought of as a material that is cost effective to produce due to its lightweight, flexible and versatile structure. However, the toll that it has taken on us as a society is multifold. According to a 2021 WWF report, in 2019 alone, the US spent $3.7 trillion on plastic production. This is not $3.7 trillion that is improving our economy, it’s $3.7 trillion that has been dumped into producing hazardous products that have absolutely nowhere to go. 

Image 1. Trash Floating in the Ocean

FACT: Plastic is Expensive to Recycle

Not only is recycling plastic hazardous to everyone involved, it is hazardous to our economy. According to the WWF, it costs over $32M to recycle plastic yearly. The amount of plastic that ultimately ends up being recycled is roughly only 9% of total waste, 9%, a number that is down 50% from prior years. Is 9% worth wasting billions of dollars to pollute our air and use hazardous materials? 

Facilities that produce plastic and repurpose plastic products are predominantly placed near fenceline communities. Fenceline communities are often communities that are susceptible to health compromises and often have low socioeconomic statuses. Facilities that are involved in processes produce pollution to surrounding neighborhoods. Toxic materials are released into the air and harm everyone. 

According to the #BreakFreeFromPlastic Brand Audit, “recycling is not enough to solve plastic pollution – much more focus is urgently needed on eliminating single-use packaging”. Their brand audit holds companies and corporations accountable for their pollution. Big brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsico and Nestle are the leading polluters from 2018 to the present.

Image 2. Cost by Region

MYTH: Reusing Plastic is Sustainable

“Advanced recycling” is the process in which plastic is heated up, melted and reshaped. When plastic is heated up it produces toxic chemicals to workers and the surrounding environment. Using products that are made up recycled plastic contain the same toxic chemicals that are produced during recycling and the consumer is at risk for ingesting them. 

In Erica Cirino’s book Thicker Than Water, she discusses that plastics made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE) marked with a number 1 is the only plastic that is suitable and sustainable for recycling. PET/PETE can be recycled by melting it at relatively low temperatures. All other plastics however, must be heated to extremely high temperatures to be reshaped. During this process, they lose most of their marketable qualities. Therefore, they cannot be reused without adding copious amounts of solvents and hazardous chemicals. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

We were all taught that phrase when we were kids and we were taught to believe that it was the solution to waste. By looking outside this simple three word phase, the evidence is jarring that this is infact not helping. 

Image 3. Plastic Found in a Beach Cleanup

References
    Plastic Recycling Doesn't Work and Will Never Work 
    Societal Cost of Plastic WWF
    Hidden Cost of Plastic WWF
    The Cost of Plastic Packaging 
    The Price Tag of Plastic Pollution
    #BreakFreeFromPlastic
    Thicker Than Water by Erica Cirino