Green Junction - Cheap Plastic Has Corrupted Us
A recent article in the New York Times (NYT) was titled “Throwaway plastic has corrupted us.” Cheap plastic materials are the basis of our throwaway society. Plastics are made from gas and oil, and since they are highly subsidized by taxpayers, plastic materials are cheaper than other materials. The recent federal One Big Beautiful Bill, predicted to cost $4 trillion over 10 years, included additional subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. According to the Yale Environment newsletter, “the amount of public money the U.S. will now spend on domestic fossil fuels stands at least $34.8 billion a year. The recent increase amounts to “the largest single-year increase in subsidies we’ve seen in many years — at least since 2017,” says Collin Rees, the U.S. program manager for Oil Change International.”
The International Monetary Fund describes fuel subsidies as harmful. “Removing subsidies and using the revenue gain for better targeted social spending…can promote sustainable and equitable outcomes.” The NYT article states “cheap, versatile plastics made throwaway culture explode, fueling overconsumption and turbocharging corporate profits.” And the end result is massive plastic waste in the environment since plastic does not decompose with no responsibility on the plastics producers. The NYT article was written by Saabir Chaudhuri, the author of “Consumed – How Big Brand Got Us Hooked on Plastic.” Her book details how chemical and consumer goods companies used technology, behavioral psychology and a multibillion-dollar marketing campaign to convince consumers to use a myriad of disposable products.
The plastic industry and its underpriced goods have profoundly shaped everyday behaviors. Considering that the gas and oil used to make plastics must be mined from deep in the earth, transported, chemically processed and then formed into consumer products, the cost of these materials should reflect the resources and the steps to manufacture. Instead, due to the subsidies and the dominance of the enormous industry, throwaway plastic has indeed corrupted us. Spend some time taking an inventory of your plastic use and waste and look for alternatives to the throwaway materials.