A Good Reason To Use Plastic

Date: 2006-08-09
Author: Mark Peoples
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Since gradeschool, we have been drilled that using plastic is bad for our health and the environment. Every major environmental group has condemned the use of plastics, plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic bottles, and other plastic materials at least once. Despite their warnings, plastics are still used and manufactured up to this day. Isn't it interesting that despite their bad-for-the-environment reputation, the plastic industry is still flourishing? There must be something that those environmentalists aren't telling us.

Anna Peterson, an environmental ethics professor at Florida's state university insists that plastics end up disposed in landfills, lakes, streams, and on roadsides where some curious critter might wander. A racoon, for instance, overwhelmed by the scent of nacho chips inside a plastic bag, might not be able to resist eating even the bag. Wildlife could choke and be poisoned by these, plus, these plastic bags can clog water systems, which can cause pollution. Another hazard posed by environmentalists is the potentially dangerous nature of plastic medical equipment. These can caused epidemics and the spread of diseases if not disposed of properly. Contact with these medical hazards could prove fatal especially if these are used on patients with contagious diseases.

But plastic manufacturers beg to differ, saying that "proper disposal" is the operative term. Otherwise, if disposed properly, these plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic bottles, and plastic materials are not a danger to the environment as much as papers are. They even asserted that over time, plastic materials are more beneficial to the environment than papers. Though paper materials are easily recyclable, they weigh ten times more than plastic and that make them heavier. Robert Bateman, a plastic manufacturer, affirms that papers use up and waste more energy during processing than plastic. In addition, plastic processing leave less waste than paper manufacturing. Profit-wise, it is cheaper to manufacture plastic than paper. Overall, plastic is the more practical choice because it cost less to make with plastic injection molds, leaves less waste, and uses less power. This is a fact usually obscured by the environmentalists.

From this vantage point, it seems to be tie between paper and plastic, but which is truly better for the environment? Garbage expert, Bill Rathje provides the answer to this dilemma. According to him, paper does not break down faster any more than plastic can in an average well-operated landfill even if they reach forty years. Since paper is bulkier, it takes more landfill area. Paper can aggravate the lack of landfill space. He says that taking the same amount and weight of both plastic and paper, plastic can fit comfortably in one truckload while it will take seven trucks to fit in the same amount of paper. What's more, wildlife-eating plastics are very rare, and in most cases, are purely anecdotal. In these perspectives, it's better to use plastics, plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic bottles, and other plastic materials rather than paper. Just remember to dispose of them properly so no poor animal will have to deal with a plastic stuck in its throat.