Director, C. Meiffren-Swango State, Meiffren-Swango, C., & Director, S. (2023, October 10). The hidden cost of Amazon Prime Days. Environment America. https://environmentamerica.org/articles/were-calling-on-amazon-to-reduce-plastic-and-put-wildlife-over-waste/
So much of the single-use plastic that we use doesn’t actually get recycled properly, and plastics, especially microplastics, end up everywhere. Researchers are still figuring out all the effects that these microplastics can have on the health of the ecosystem and on people. Just in 2021, Amazon produced 709 million pounds of plastic. While Amazon is making improvements and cutting back on the amount of plastic that it uses, it still makes a drastic impact on the environment when it comes to the amount of plastic waste that it produces, especially when only around 10% of that plastic will end up being recycled. So when it comes to Prime Day, where Amazon has major sales, it can have a major impact on the environment.
This article was urging people to think more carefully about how much plastic they also use while talking about something like Prime Day. I think that it is something that we might not think about so much when it comes to ordering online, but it can have an impact on the environment. I, like many people, have ordered on Amazon and from other online retailers, but the article makes me think about how much plastic is actually being used when it comes to shipping the product to me. It is important for corporations to start to phase out single-use plastics and start to have more sustainable practices, so companies like Amazon do not produce hundreds of millions of waste that ends up in our atmosphere or oceans.
I thought this article was super interesting and relevant to everyday life. What would be a better option for consumers if we need a product quickly but don’t want to use single-serve plastic?
It’s alarming to learn about the staggering amount of plastic waste generated by Amazon alone, with only a fraction being recycled. I definitely relate to your reflection on personal consumption habits; most of us may not fully consider the environmental impacts of our online purchases. I agree that as consumers, it’s crucial for us to be mindful of the plastic footprint associated with our buying habits and to advocate for more sustainable practices from corporations like Amazon. What kind of policies or regulations do you think Amazon could implement to significantly reduce its plastic waste production? Additionally, do you believe consumer awareness and activism can influence corporate behavior towards more environmentally friendly practices?
I honestly think it would be beneficial if this information was more public because if more people knew about the consequences of Amazon packaging, then people would use it less. Do you think Amazon is going to transition to eco-friendly packaging or make some sort of effort to not have orders be so detrimental to our world?
This article was interesting and made me think about how much plastic I use. I wonder how big the difference would be if Amazon changed its packaging?