We have created a problem for ourselves. We have engineered plastic to be such an enduring material, yet we treat it as disposable. We have a plethora of plastic to deal with, and no eco-healthy way to dispose of it.

Despite most urban centers having the facilities to process the two most common types of plastic (PETE and HDPE), only 23% of plastic with recycle potential actually ever reaches a recycling facility. On top of that, there are no hard and fast plastics recycling rules, so procedures vary by region. The majority of plastic containers and items end up in landfills where even compostable type plastics  don’t have the right conditions to biodegrade. It is estimated that more than 100 billion plastic bottles are added to landfills each year. And last, but not least, a significant number of plastic containers end up as litter, that eventually finds its way via waterways to our earth’s oceans, which is how the growing island of plastic debris in the North Pacific Gyre came to be. 

Making plastics is the fifth largest U.S. manufacturing industry in 2005, according to the American Chemistry Council. The sector employs more than 1.1 million people, according to the Society of the Plastics Industry. The process of manufacturing plastics often involves the emission of toxic substances into the atmosphere. And even more toxins (like lead and chlorine) are released when plastics are burned for disposal. But incineration is not the most common method of disposal.

Plastics currently make up almost 12 percent of U.S. waste. Technically, plastics cannot be recycled indefinitely, only down-cycled,which means that eventually the product cannot be repurposed anymore and will end up in a landfill or be otherwise disposed of. So every plastic product that is manufactured eventually WILL take up space somewhere on our earth, and/or release its toxic byproducts into our air, water or soil.

Especially in the current economy, efforts to reduce plastic production will be met with resistance for economic reasons. The answer is to focus on the development of increasingly eco-friendly plastics or alternatives. 

Some eco-conscious companies are turning to plastics made of plants rather than petroleum. And there are forward thinking manufacturers looking for win-win solutions. But new technologies almost always cost more and so adoption of less toxic plastics is slow. Ane we are in a race against time. Every day that petroleum-based, non biodegradable plastics are produced, we lose ground. No one exactly knows at what point we will be past the point of recovery, and there are choices individuals (that’s you!) can make now to effect change. Small personal adjustments toward green living in your home and workplace will add up for the good of our earth.