“It’s not always easy to see when a relationship is in trouble. […] But we’ve been together so long it’s difficult to imagine a different world, one in which people determined the fate of plastic, rather than the other way around” (Freinke 141). I was hooked by this opening of the chapter “Battle of the Bag” because it’s well-put to describe our usage of plastic as a troublesome relationship. We have been using and depending on plastic for many things and for so long that plastic became a part of our daily lives. We bought them, we used them, and then we threw them away without having a second thought about where they ended up. I only had this realization after taking this class and reading the class materials. I started to look at my surrounding, starting with the objects inside my room. I noticed that most items were made from plastic, including water bottles, power cords, and my take away box. I did not realize that I was stuck in this plastic relationship for so long and that I also played a role in this plastic problem. I think many other people have not come to this realization yet because they never have a chance to pause and reconsider the role of plastic in their lives.
Another part of this chapter that I found enlightening is hearing opinions and perspectives from the American Chemistry Council (ACC). In the film Bag It, the narrator was not to get any insights from any ACC representatives, so everything seemed one-sided. However, in this chapter, the author describes the various battles between the pro-plastic people and the anti-plastic people, providing us with a full picture of the plastic issue. For instance, Roger Bernstein of the American Chemistry Council calls recycling “a guilt eraser” because “as soon as they recycle your product, they feel better about it” (Freinke 162). Labeling products as recyclable is just one of the many campaigns that the ACC uses to promote the use of plastic. People feel less guilty to buy plastic products when they see that they can recycle them, thinking that recycling is the solution. However, they do not realize that it is not that simple. Another insight into the ACC is their campaign to make people overturn the fee on grocery plastic because they have statistics that “most Seattleites were willing to accept a ban on plastic bags. At the same time, they were unwilling to pay a fee for them at the grocery store” (164). People tend to see this fee as another tax added to their daily life, making them hesitate to pay. Thus, the ACC uses this opportunity to convince people not to accept the extra fee on plastic, preventing the reduction of plastic usage. It is fascinating and sad to learn how these companies could go to any distance to hide the real problem.
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