Market copycats soon followed the Dixie Cup, as did other disposable items including Kleenex tissues and paper towels. Importantly, our “throw-away” culture was born.
Plastic is derived from by-products of oil and natural gas.
Make no mistake, this industry is entirely focused on profitability.
Yet after four decades of campaigning, our global recycling rates have hovered around just 14% (13% in the US).
Now, given the uproar over plastic waste in much of the world, the plastics industry has been searching for a destination for its product that it thinks it can further exploit without as much pushback: Africa.
Scientists have given us the answers. But if the will to change isn’t there, these solutions won’t be deployed to the extent needed to protect the ocean and ourselves.