DBR
Wildchild
DBR.docxReplies to Classmates:
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Write a 120 word response to gray post
Gray,
I do not believe that the industry has caused us to become addicted to plastics. I think people are addicted to the idea of Cheap, Fast and Easy. Humans are hardwired to take the path of least resistance and fighting laziness is an uphill battle (Tayag). Both water and electricity take the paths of least resistance and apparently so do humans. The easiest option is one that will be more widely adopted by the masses. Let us take plastic bags, for example. The push for reusable bags is all over the place. Publix has bags for sale right the register, you can purchase them, along with your groceries, and they will place your groceries in the bag for you. They will even walk you out to the car and load it for you! Past that, it is up to the consumer to properly use and care for their new bags. People lose their keys and cellphones at an alarming rate, how likely is someone to remember their bag when they go for the store? I for one, never remember to take my bags with me. There is also no way I am going to BUY another set of bags… I already did that. “Plastic Please.”
I can barely keep track of my wallet when I get home. It is always one of 7 places, maybe 9, but it is always the last place I look. A cotton bag would need to be used 131 times for the eco footprint to be equal to that of a plastic bag (Thompson). How likely is it for someone to keep track of a bag that long? People use plastic bags, due to their ease of use, they are free and you can just throw it out after. Use it and forget it. If there was something else out there that was cheap, fast and easy; everyone would use it. The same thing for industry, they are going to go for the cheapest and most efficient way to pack, ship and sell their products. Don’t hurt the bottom line.
COUNTER ARGUMENT: I do not agree with Courtney Lindwall who concludes that, plastic bans and reducing plastic use is the most effective way to reduce plastic waste in landfills and waterways, in “Single Use Plastics 101” (NRDC.org January 9, 2020.) “Two reasons she gives for this are that bans on plastic bags reduce their use by 85% and 91% of plastics are not recycled.” https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-use-plastics-101 (Links to an external site.)
The process of making biodegradable plastic is the way we need to go in the future. It requires no change to the way we use plastics. Plastic is just to convenient, and has too many practical uses, for a bans and reusable alternatives to be an effective practice. In 2018 Morgan Vague discovered a bacteria that can digest plastic and process it into a nontoxic, biodegradable components (Herron). This seems like an excellent solution to disposing of current plastic waste.
CONCLUSION: Plastic is used in everything from toothpaste to rocket components and it’s use is not an addiction. It is not the “addicted” use of plastic that needs to be curtailed, it is the materials plastics are most commonly made from.
Write a 120 word response to Richard post
Richard,
"The Plasticity of Habit"
The argument of this week's documentary focuses on only one area of economic activity. It argues that industry has caused us to become addicted to plastic because plastics play a critical role in our consumption economy. Do you agree or disagree with this thesis? Why or why not?
Plastic is the most versatile and universal material in existence; it is difficult to imagine life without it. As Connacher (2008) stated in his documentary film, we live in a throwaway living and disposable society, which is largely due to plastics (Addicted to Plastic, 2008, at 16 min 55 sec). I believe this epitomizes what the term 'plasticity of habit' truly means. Despite the growth it has enjoyed for decades, the detriment caused to society and the environment by its abundance can no longer be ignored. Lacy, McAndrew, and Spindler (2019) informed that Antoine Frérot, CEO of Veolia, noted a steep increase in plastic production over the last half-century, from 15 million tonnes during the 1960s to a reported 311 million tonnes in 2014, which is expected to triple by 2050. When you consider that there are estimates of approximately 30,000 pieces of non-biodegradable plastic in every square mile of ocean, the current rates of plastic production is completely unsustainable from a globally economic and responsibility perspective.
Perhaps it’s been considered, however, I wonder if all the scientists and experts have factored the plastic problem in the rising sea level equation. Given the amount of plastic pollutants in the oceans coupled with thermal expansion and melting glaciers, sea levels will reach catastrophic proportions sooner that imagined. It’s estimated that 80% of plastics in the ocean come from land, which is a primary reason why the EPA considers it a major pollutant. Recycling does little to solve or curtail this problem. India recycles 60% of their plastic waste as opposed to the 5% recycling rate in the United States. As global consumers and contributors to the problem, we must seriously reconsider our approach and attitudes toward plastic usage.
I do not agree that that recycling is a viable solution to the global plastic epidemic. For this reason, I do not agree with Miranda Marcus, an Application Engineer at EMI, who suggests in "What Are Some Practical Ways To Reduce Plastic Pollution?" (Forbes.com, 1/29/2018) that paying people to clean up the trash problems that have already been created is a practical way to deal with the plastic pollutant problem. Two reasons I disagree are: 1) Plastics far exceed the amount of people necessary and it would cost too much time and money. 2) There aren’t enough people of power and influence that have been convinced enough to invest in that idea.
I agree that we are addicted to plastic because plastics play a critical role in our consumption economy and daily existence where it is difficult to imagine many aspects of our lives that don’t involve plastics in some form.
Connacher, I, (2008, October 4). Addicted to Plastic [Video File]. Retrieved from http://watchdocumentaries.com/addicted-to-plastic/ (Links to an external site.)
Lacy, P., McAndrew, C. and Spindler, W. (2019, January 25). Plastic is a global problem. It’s also a global opportunity. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/plastic-might-just-be-the-solution-to-its-own-problem/
