If plastic is harmful to the environment, why is allowed to still be in production?
I wonder about this all the time...why don't we just use glass since glass is biodegradable?
Answer:
Yes! Plastic is bad for the environment as it is very hard to degenerate. It can take thousands of years for some kinds of plastic to biodegrade.
Fortunately a lot of plastics can now be recycled, and a lot of things found in your home will be from recycled rubbish, things such as fleeces and bottles.
Most councils in the UK provide recycling collections to help with ground fill overflow.
Glass by the way takes a long long time to biodegrade (That's if it is degradable). So it is just as important to recycle glass as it is plastics.
Plastic isn't harmful to the environment.
We need plastic.
Shipping is a nightmare.
Because we live in the "now" generation. No one cares about the future......only what they can get today.
Because plastic is so cheap to make, and can perform some functions that glass can't. For example, the computer you just typed your question on couldn't exist without plastics.
Most plastic are recyclable I suspect that is the main reason, you can dig it up out of landfills centuries from now and make new stuff out of it when they do ban it's production.
its at least recyclable, so if more people recycle then its not a problem as much. i didnt know glass was biodegradable, i thought that was only recyclable as well. at least plastic is better than styrofoam or metal
My guess is it's because plastic is used for too many things, so consumers and companies would probably be unwilling to give it up, and it's probably cheap to produce.
Oh, Winnie, don't go on so.
Glass is NOT biodegradable. It is virtually eternal. Just visit the beach some time and take a close look at the sand.
What glass is, and plastic is, also, is recyclable. Both can be reused almost forever. Plastic bags and bottles can be remade into virtually anything, from more of the same to fences and tables and chairs!
Glass is great stuff, but did you ever try to carry your groceries home in a glass bowl?
There is no real replacement for plastic given the several varieties and uses available. Take computer keyboards for example. Glass is neither biodegradeable nor hazardous to the environment by the way. Its just sand thats melted into a very large grain.
Not only is plastic harmful to the environment, but I believe it to be harmful to us as well.
However, it's convenient. And this is a society based on convenience. Until we can show a better product that covers the bases for both environmental safety and convenience, I'm afraid getting it replaced is going to be an uphill battle.
I agree with you about the plastic. There is just way too much packaging used now. Such a waste of all resources. You buy the smallest item, it comes with cardboard backers, plastic coating, then it is put in a plastic bag after you pay for it. Way too much waste in packaging. There has to be a better way. I like that cities are now banning bottled water. It is strange how people got hooked on it and actually pay more per gallon for water then for gas. Anyway I digress, you are right there should be a better way.
Plastic is not harmful to the environment.
wanton overuse, abuse and misdisposal of plastic does not help the enviornment but even that does not really harm it.
Plastic uses many by-products of other petroleum products thus reducing the amount of waste that would otherwise be leftover and have to be disposed of in some other way.
glass is not biodegradable. There is still glass around from hundreds of years ago and it will be around for hundreds more.
Because plastic is manufactured by the same powerful industry that is causing global warming--the petro-chemical business. This is probably the most powerful industry in the world--it has the President of the United States in its pocket, the ability to cause a war for its own gain (ie. Iraq), and has even colluded with car manufacturers to change urban layouts (in Europe, you can walk everywhere; towns are organised into smaller 'village' areas. Although North America originally followed this model, after the 20s, towns were rebuilt to spread out so that you have to drive everywhere).
Some towns in the UK have put on a self-imposed plastic bag ban--you can't get them in any shops. More people are drinking tap water or San Pelligrino/Perrier from glass bottles, as they know plastic breaks down into the water. It seems that if we want to fight against plastics, we need to start at the grassroots level--don't buy the stuff, write to your MP and ask her/him to start a 'bag ban' in your area, pressure local businesses to use glass, etc.
PS Act D above me there is WRONG, IGNORANT AND WRONG AGAIN!! Plastic contains some of the most volatile and carcinogenic compounds known to man--just look at my links. Recycling plastic also releases dioxons, which are also very carcinogenic, so recylcing is not an option here. And you wonder why there is a cancer epidemic? Plastics have a lot to do with it.
Many items come in a variety of containers, yet people still choose to use plastics because they are more durable and safer (not going to break and cut you).
You could use paper bags at the grocery, buy aluminum can drinks, buy cardboard milk cartons instead of plastic, etc. As others above me pointed out, some things can only be made with plastics.
Because money rules the world! If corporations can pay to pollute why wouldn't they continue that with plastic? If they made everything in glass that they could that's made from plastics the costs would just run over to us and more than likely we wouldn't purchase a lot of items that we do now. Money - money - money is the answer.
it is harmful to our oceans b/c it just pollutes it even more and some animals confuse it for food and eat and die.
it's still used in production b/c it's convinent and people are still in the mind set that we dont harm our environment...
Glass takes 1,000,000 years to decompose
plastic bags can take 1,000 years to decompose
plastic isnt that great b.c some types of plastic can only be reused for a while but not forever like glass
Is your source the same on that convinced the Supreme Court that carbon dioxide is a pollutant? In case you don't know, you are exhaling CO2 at this moment. Glass is about as biodegradable as granite. Plastic actually IS biodegradable. It may take a million years, but it will degrade. Glass never will.
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