For years, environmental activists and political leaders have used images of waste-filled beaches to turn consumers against plastic. The imagery has been used to support calls to ban common single-use plastics, including straws, shopping bags, bottled water, and more. Thinking they are helping the environment, many Americans support these policies.
But is plastic trash in the United States actually as bad as we’ve been led to believe? New evidence provides important context.
A study published this fall in Science Advances generated breathless headlines claiming that the U.S. is a major culprit for plastic in the ocean. A dive into the study itself shows the opposite.
The study finds that 2%-3% of waste in the U.S. is mismanaged. Italy and Japan had the next-lowest mismanagement rates at 13% and 15%, respectively. Russia, Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, and Egypt had rates above 90%.
The U.S. uses the most plastic in the world but is the world’s best at managing it, resulting in a negligible contribution to the world’s plastic pollution problem. In contrast, Indonesia, which uses one-fifth as much plastic as the U.S., is responsible for 10% of all floating ocean plastic. India is responsible for 7.5% of the problem.
We have become the victim of other countries’ failure to manage their own waste. Hawaiian beaches are riddled with trash, not from residents, but from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, whose origins are mostly Asian countries.
Further complicating the issue is the fact that a lot of this trash is not consumer items. According to National Geographic, the majority of plastic in the Patch is actually abandoned fishing gear.
Yet, across the U.S., plastic water bottles are falling victim to local bans. As companies feel pressure to become more environmentally friendly, some are switching to cartons or glass.
Yet, several studies show that glass, though recyclable, is not the most environmentally-friendly choice. The production of glass bottles emits four times the emissions as the production of plastic bottles. Glass bottles also require more greenhouse gases than almost any other material as they are heavier to transport in carbon-fueled vehicles.
Cartons also carry hidden drawbacks. The aluminum and plastic mixture used to create these containers decreases the recyclability of the product. Cartons often end up in landfills. “It’s a little bit ludicrous to put your water in a carton and claim that that is more sustainable than putting it in a plastic bottle which is, in fact, more readily recyclable,” admits the anti-plastic Natural Resources Defense Council.
Environmental activists continue to push the narrative that single-use plastic is one of the biggest threats to our environment. But according to a study by Zero Waste Scotland, the carbon footprint of food waste collected from Scottish households is nearly three times that of plastic waste. When food waste ends up in landfills, the rotting releases methane into the air — one of the most potent greenhouse gases. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration estimates an incredible 30% to 40% of our own food supply is wasted. Food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills.
Ironically, plastic is key to preventing and reducing food waste. Plastic containers and wraps can extend the life of many foods. A cucumber has a shelf life of five days if left unwrapped. It can last 14 days if protected by a wrap.
What’s the lesson? Proceed with caution. Banning straws and bags may marginally reduce trash and litter. These items are difficult to recycle and are easily replaced with nonplastic alternatives. But let’s not pretend it’s going to have a big impact on the environment, or the oceans. If it comes from the U.S., it’s very unlikely to end up in the ocean anyway.
As for other plastic that serves an important purpose, let’s leave these products alone. Recycling innovation has made plastic one of the most recyclable products on the market, capable of transformation into a whole host of products, including clothing, cabinetry, and shoes. A better policy for those concerned about the environment is to increase our recycling infrastructure so that more “single-use” plastics and other materials can have multiple lives.
Will Coggin is managing director of the Center for Accountability in Science.
