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We need to ban most consumer uses of plastic. Plastic is much like nuclear waste, it's harmful to life, and takes thousands to millions of years to degrade. Out

We need to ban most consumer uses of plastic. Plastic is much like nuclear waste, it's harmful to life, and takes thousands to millions of years to degrade. Outside of uses like medical devices or smaller electronic devices, plastic is just wasteful. At the supermarket, I just cringe when I see a single banana or apple wrapped in plastic wrap. And I shudder to imagine the future health effects all the microplastic beads in the water supply are doing to us.

hammock 7y ago
You are being downvoted because this is an extreme position, but you back it up with reasoning and I believe it deserves to be heard.
hnhg 7y ago
Don't forget its use in cigarette filters.
nitrogen 7y ago
The plastic-wrapped fruit lasts longer so there is less food waste (and less carbon wasted on shipping wasted fruit).
- limomium 7y ago
  There would also be less food waste if the stores just, you know, gave away the products about to spoil to people who, you know, aren't rich enough to be picky about their bananas.
  - nitrogen 7y ago
    That does happen with bread at least. I grew up in a place where shopping at the "canned food store" and "bread store" was common. These were places that sold food that had expired off the shelves of other stores at steep discounts. Sometimes the food was just given away by grocery stores, too.
hristov 7y ago
I agree with you if (1) it is done gradually as not to cause unintended consequences (2) certain higher value plastics used in long lasting products are not banned and (3) compost-able plastics are allowed. There already are compostable plastics that can easily replace most cheap plastic out there but they are slightly more expensive. If everyone is forced to use compostables instead of cheap throw-away plastic, the compostables would fall in price very quickly. This is not a technology problem it is a very simple externality problem. We have the technology to solve it it just costs a little more and the people that are creating the problem are not bearing the costs so they do not care.

hammock 7y ago

You are being downvoted because this is an extreme position, but you back it up with reasoning and I believe it deserves to be heard.

hnhg 7y ago

Don't forget its use in cigarette filters.

nitrogen 7y ago

The plastic-wrapped fruit lasts longer so there is less food waste (and less carbon wasted on shipping wasted fruit).

limomium 7y ago
There would also be less food waste if the stores just, you know, gave away the products about to spoil to people who, you know, aren't rich enough to be picky about their bananas.
- nitrogen 7y ago
  That does happen with bread at least. I grew up in a place where shopping at the "canned food store" and "bread store" was common. These were places that sold food that had expired off the shelves of other stores at steep discounts. Sometimes the food was just given away by grocery stores, too.

hristov 7y ago

I agree with you if (1) it is done gradually as not to cause unintended consequences (2) certain higher value plastics used in long lasting products are not banned and (3) compost-able plastics are allowed. There already are compostable plastics that can easily replace most cheap plastic out there but they are slightly more expensive. If everyone is forced to use compostables instead of cheap throw-away plastic, the compostables would fall in price very quickly. This is not a technology problem it is a very simple externality problem. We have the technology to solve it it just costs a little more and the people that are creating the problem are not bearing the costs so they do not care.