Glaun, Dan. “FrontLine.” The Plastic Industry Is Growing During COVID. Recycling? Not So Much., 17 Feb. 2021, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-plastic-industry-is-growing-during-covid-recycling-not-so-much.
While many manufacturers have seen production decrease during the economic downfall of Covid-19, plastic producers have seen a surprising increase. Plastic was the only part of the US chemistry industry to see an increase in 2020, with a percent increase of .9% in California. Among a rise in need for plastic bags for takeout, masks, and syringes, Baca of the American Chemistry Council says that “we don’t have a plastic problem, we have a plastic waste problem”. California used 500 million single use plastic bags per month before the ban passed in 2016. However because of the pandemic, governor Gavin Newsome suspended the ban from 2016 to 2020. There is a common debate of wether less plastic production needed or just more plastic recycling.
I never even knew about the pause on the plastic bag ban because of Covid-19 until reading this article. I was surprised that this was necessary and was allowed to happen, as single use plastic bags are the biggest contributor to ocean plastic contamination as they are commonly are found on beaches and can choke fish and coastal specimens. This article was educational on the topic of how Covid-19 has impacted climate change, and made me think about how to fix this currently and become more prepared for the next pandemic.
That is super interesting to see especially because you mentioned the fact of how they are the main contributor to plastic contamination. During a time of crisis we have to pick and choose what to focus on changing and pouring our resources into. What do you think are possible ways to reduce the need for plastic during the pandemic?
I also was not aware of how COVID affected the use of plastic until now, I think it should be a top priority to place a ban on plastic or at least a limit to avoid harming marine life and polluting the earth more than ever. What are ways to recycle this plastic instead of letting it turn into waste?