Why Is Plastic So Bad?

My last post may have left you wondering: Why is plastic so bad compared to other recyclables? In this post, I'll tell you why it's so bad, by explaining how it's made, what it does during its use, and what happens when it is disposed of.

How Plastic Is Made

To start off with, plastic is made from petroleum (oil) which is a non-renewable resource that has to be drilled from the ground. Often, these oil rigs are in the middle of the water which means that if there is an oil spill, it gets in the water and harms sea life, in addition to being very difficult to clean up. Then, the oil has to be processed with many harmful chemicals to get it to be plastic. This takes a lot of energy and creates a lot of greenhouse gasses. After that, it finally gets turned into something like a plastic bottle or bag.

What Plastic Does During Its Use

Pretty much everything you buy comes with plastic. Chips come in a plastic bag, takeout comes with plastic utensils and containers, and drinks come with plastic straws and cups. These are all examples of single-use plastics. You use them once-- sometimes only for a few seconds-- and then you throw them away. Also plastic can leach chemicals into things it touches-- namely food. Although some plastic is food safe and can be reused, it is prone to melting, breaking, or other problems, making it not a very sustainable option. In addition, plastic is not very durable. Even if you purchased something with the intention of reusing it, there is a big chance of it breaking.

Where Plastic Ends Up

There are four main places plastic will end up at the end of its lifetime-- a recycling bin, a landfill, an incinerator, or on the ground and in oceans. You may think that recycling is great-- and it can be, but not always. Recycling uses up a lot of energy and is a difficult process. Plastic has to be cleaned, sorted, and melted down before it can be turned into something new. This emits a lot of greenhouse gasses since most of the time the plastic has to be shipped somewhere to undergo this process. Often what gets put in your recycling bin doesn't get recycled at all. Sometimes, companies just say they are recycling it when in reality they are just burning it or sending it to a landfill. If you thought that was bad just wait until you hear what comes next. When plastic goes to an incinerator, it gets burned which uses a lot of energy, produces toxic gasses, and leaves behind toxic ash. Not good at all. If plastic ends up in a landfill it will just sit there forever and ever. It will not break down at all. Also, sometimes plastic can leach chemicals into groundwater which people may end up drinking. You can guess how many problems that would cause. Lastly plastic may end up on the ground or in oceans. On the ground, it can blow into storm drains, oceans, or other waterways and end up in the ocean. Once in the ocean, it doesn't break down, it breaks up. Fish and other sea life then eat it and become very sick and die. Humans may also consume fish that have microplastics in them.

Now you can probably see why plastic is so bad in its production, use, and end. My advice to you would be to take any effort you can to reduce your plastic consumption, although you shouldn't throw away any plastic you have now until it can no longer be used at all THEN try buying more sustainable options. Please subscribe so that you get notified whenever I publish a new post. You can leave a comment down below if you have any questions about this post or suggestions for what I should post next.

Thanks for reading!

-Margo