According to 350.org,  the total mass of human-made matter on the planet now meets or exceeds the total mass of nature itself.    We need to Reduce; Re-Use; Recycle now more than ever but the ugly truth about plastic is that when it actually makes it to a recycling facility,  it can only be recycled a limited number of times.

 Most plastic isn’t even getting recycled though.  In the US,  low manufacturer demand for recycled plastic means the costs of collecting and processing used plastic remain high with little financial reward to recycling collection companies except to charge for their services to individuals and communities.  

The truth is that recycling is not the best option for dealing with this now ubiquitous petroleum product: it was a pipe dream the petrochemical companies fed to government regulators concerned about environmental impact in the mid 20th century.   But not only does most plastic not get recycled,  it doesn’t break down and go away.  What doesn’t pose a threat to living beings in its original state (drinking straws in turtles’ noses, plastic bags strangling small animals or clogging the stomachs of larger ones for example)  eventually breaks down into such tiny particles in the environment that we can’t even see it,  leaching toxic chemicals into soil and water all over the globe, from the highest mountain top to the deepest ocean trenches.

The most realistic, best solution to this issue is not to come up with yet more and more complicated systems of post-use collection, with various carrot/stick incentives to encourage consumer participation.  The best solution is to Stop the Use of  Frivolous  and Unnecessary Plastic Items.

How many of these little green things get stuck in the lid of a Starbucks cup Every Single Day?  What exactly is the purpose?  To close the sipping hole? To be used as a fairly ineffective stirrer?  Think how many a single Starbucks location goes through in one day, then think how many Starbucks locations are in your town...county...state... the entire US.  What a waste of money,  what an enormous load of plastic waste.  Please Starbucks,  you keep giving out straws despite your previous promises.  A case can be made for the usefulness of a straw.  Can anyone really make a case for the usefulness of these obnoxious green stick-things?  Please stop distributing these pointless pieces of insta-waste!