On the day I intended to hold a discussion about plastics in class, I noticed a car with a bumper sticker that said “van plastic.” When it arrived on campus, I thought it might be a good idea to follow it and invite the individuals inside to participate in the conversation.
Upon reaching the car, I saw the students getting out. One of them was wearing a polyester hoodie, and she had a plastic coffee mug on her left and a cellphone on her right.
I approached her politely, but she declined my invitation. I brought up that a typical car contains around 400 pounds of plastic, but she seemed unaware of that fact, so I kept silent about the cute toy cat that was sticking to the rear window with a suction cup made of plastic.
She mentioned that the bumper sticker was likely plastic as well. “Yes,” she acknowledged, “but you have to start somewhere.”
As I prepared for my class, I aimed to explore both sides of the plastic debate. It’s true that plastic has negatives. Some are crafted from harmful chemicals, many are petroleum-based, and some, like wind turbine blades or solar panels, are tough to recycle. It’s easy to focus on these shortcomings, but the key point is comparing plastics to their alternatives.
While plastic waste constitutes a huge part of our garbage, this is primarily because most items people discard are made from plastic. I remember when, as a kid, most trash consisted of paper wrappers, glass bottles, and metal cans.
Plastic packaging is lighter, stronger, and generally cheaper than paper or cellulose alternatives. I recall candy bars wrapped in aluminum foil.
In nearly every context, plastic bottles outperform glass, coated paper, or metal. For instance, the risk of glass shards from broken bottles is significant. Bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate, whether for water or soda, are much cheaper to produce, and different methods transform high-density polyethylene into milk containers. The weight savings of plastic compared to glass notably reduces transportation costs.
During a class discussion about shopping bags, I was surprised by how effective plastic bags (or T-shirt bags) are in the market. Paper bags come with their own environmental challenges due to wood usage and often end up being unexpectedly pricey. Reusable bags can be costly and frequently wear out before justifying their expense. It goes beyond just the cost per bag—the display racks for plastic shopping bags enhance efficiency, speeding up checkout lines.
While plastic straws might be considered “evil,” I find them quite necessary when drinking out at a restaurant. I’d rather avoid the sensation of a soggy paper straw or the coldness of stainless steel. I know I can’t clean stainless straws properly. Interestingly, during hikes in the pandemic, I noticed far more discarded masks than straws littering the trails.
Whenever I’m in my living room, kitchen, bedroom, doctor’s office, or car, I can’t help but notice plastic everywhere—in forms of fiber, film, and foam.
In general, the use of plastics persists largely because they often outperform alternatives. They can be molded into bottles, pipes, and other shapes. Some can be processed into fibers and fabrics. Thermoforming techniques enable the creation of everything from disposable cups to full-sized boats. The versatility is remarkable.
This doesn’t mean I believe plastic is always the best choice. For instance, in my view, chopsticks should come from wood. Plastic mailboxes just don’t seem right. Building blocks for toddlers should be wooden, featuring letters, numbers, and whimsical designs. While Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys should be made of wood, plastic works wonderfully for LEGO sets.
Ultimately, a mix of materials allows for greater diversity and flexibility.
