The Plastic Dilemma
From magic material to a global threat: how our plastic addiction evolved and why we must (immediately) wean ourselves off.
A Brief History of Plastic
Plastic is a problem, but at first, it was a solution.
When it was invented in 1907 it was dubbed “the material of a thousand uses” because it was just. so. darn. useful. In the early 1930’s new plastics like neoprene, polythene, and even nylon were invented. That’s right, toothbrush bristles and nylon stockings had entered the scene! In fact—64 million pairs of nylon stockings were manufactured in 1938 alone! Does everyone know that nylon is plastic? Because it is.
As we now know, almost everything we did in the 1930’s was wrong. I am somewhat kidding, but what I am serious about is that although plastic was once an incredible invention, it is now a massive problem. As we frantically hurtle towards the 2030’s we are still addicted to using a material that is made from oil and gas: a material that doesn’t biodegrade, that breaks down and releases toxic chemicals into the environment-chemicals that are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
There is no denying the usefulness of plastic, but there is also no denying the toxicity of plastic in our environment.
Handi-Wrap ad, Woman’s Day Magazine, 1962
Our ‘throw away’ culture didn’t exist until the 1950’s, when the plastic industry bombarded housewives with ad campaigns about the benefits of using plastic such as saran wrap, plastic straws, etc. The public had to be convinced to make the switch from items that could last a lifetime, be repaired or mended, and only purchased once, to an item that could only be used once and then thrown away.
But the ad campaigns worked, and the convenience of disposable items swept the nation (and the globe). As a result, oil and gas companies have been profiting off of pumping out unfathomable amounts of plastic ever since.
Who is Responsible for Plastic Waste?
Responsibility has been placed on the consumer to reduce the use of single-use plastics, a campaign intended to reduce the damage that has come from our convenient ‘throw away’ lifestyles.
Placing the responsibility on the consumer is a classic method that has worked for the oil and gas industry before. The concept of a personal carbon footprint was popularized by BP Oil in the early 2000’s as way to shift attention away from the fossil fuel industry and onto the individual.
Unfortunately, putting the responsibility on the consumer is unrealistic. Being alive today means that even the most conscientious consumers come into contact with plastic all the time. And we can’t just get rid of plastic without having proper alternatives.
What About Recycling Plastic?
Being an avid recycler my entire life, it has been very hard to swallow the statistic that only around 9% of plastic actually gets recycled.
It appears that the idea of plastic recycling was yet another manipulative tactic employed by the oil and gas industry as a way to sell more plastic. By soothing the public’s fears over plastic waste, they insisted that plastics of all kinds could be recycled and they sent the message home with $50 million per year ad campaigns about recycling and the benefits of plastic.
In reality, recycling plastic is costly and plastic degrades with each use meaning plastics can only be recycled once or twice before the quality is compromised. It is cheaper and easier for plastics manufacturers to make new plastics with virgin materials.
There is a lot to this story, but let’s leave it at this, the vast majority of all the plastic products we consume end up in landfills, which eventually make their way to the oceans.
Alternatives to Plastic
We need more and better alternatives to plastic since unfortunately, our current bioplastics have their own drawbacks. In order to stop making the same mistakes of the 1930’s as we forge ahead into the 2030’s, we need creative solutions for replacing plastics with safer alternatives and a safer way to dispose of the billions of tons of plastic that is already in circulation.
Here at Endangered Concepts we have come up with our own small ‘solution.’ While we drive ourselves mad trying to avoid plastics, the plastics that do end up in our home get placed in a special plastics bin. Not the blue recycling bin, but an Endangered Concepts plastics bin. The plastic is then compressed down and used as the base for our wildlife sculptures. By arresting the plastic in this way we keep it out of landfills and oceans and it gets to live its best life as a beautiful piece of wildlife art, raising awareness for endangered animals.
If you’d like to help us arrest plastic and turn it into art please consider signing up for our plastic waste collection program where, for a modest donation, we will provide you a bin and regularly scheduled pick-ups.
I promise you, using the plastic bin is easy, feels good, and you can rest assured that the plastic in that bin will not end up in a landfill or the ocean, but inside of a beautiful sculpture. Just kidding we sell it to China (Just kidding, China doesn’t buy it any more!).
Another benefit of the plastic bin is becoming more aware of the plastic waste that is being created in your home. Noticing where it’s coming from helps us to make those lifestyle changes towards reducing our personal use because, lets admit it, the responsibility is on each and every one of us whether we like it or not. Turning plastic into art is one small, community-based solution that we like to think of as just one of the oars trying to paddle this crazy ship towards a more livable future.
