Plastic is used to keep foods fresh for longer, for bottling, for the packaging of medical supplies to keep them sterile, to reduce weight on vehicles and for insulation in buildings so they use less fuel. Many other things are made of plastic or have some plastic in their construction.

According to a recent story on 60 Minutes, some of these plastics are recycled, but most are thrown away. Today because of the ongoing trade war with China, plastics recycled in the United States plummeted below 5 percent.

Plastic takes hundreds of years to breakdown.There’s too much of it and it can be deadly to wildlife and humans.

Plastic is made from petroleum; primarily from natural gas in the United States. Why not use it for fuel? Plastic-to-fuel facilities that vaporize plastic to become heating and transportation fuel that burns cleaner are increasing. This demonstrates proactive measures towards the world’s fuel and pollution crisis.

So why didn’t 60 Minutes mention this? Do they rely on doom and gloom for ratings? Perhaps it was one of their oil company sponsors pushing the idea that there’s nothing that can be done.

The drive for human survival promotes change. Hopefully sooner than later. 

Steven A. Birt

Groton