This chapter ‘Made to be Wasted‘ sheds some much needed insight on just how drastically society has shifted to feeding into consumerism. Previously, I had never stopped to think about what my grandparents or great-grandparents made use of in the absence of plastic. I simply lived my day to day life, making use of countless forms of single-use plastics without even registering the fact that they were indeed Single-Use.
This chapter continuously mentions that the fate of single-use plastics is enacted.
“economic capacities are not so much intrinsic as enacted”
I found this quote to be powerful and thought provoking. The ways in which we produce plastics combined with our intentions determine its economic capacities.
The reading also discusses a misalignment of incentives. Recently, the purpose of plastics has shifted – its various shapes and forms are allowing manufacturers to send their products further out to a wider range of audiences. In order to reach such far lands the packaging of products needs durability and resistance against heat and damage among other things. Take for example soda cans which have an inner lining of plastic, adding to their shelf life. A longer shelf-life is great for manufacturers and even store owners but what we fail to take into account is the fact that once these cans are opened and the soda is consumed they automatically become trash. “The afterlife of the bottle needs to be anticipated before exchange, connecting the value of convenience to the ease with which the bottle is discarded.” Single use plastics therefore, are rubbish from the very beginning! I found this to be extremely alarming but also quite ironic – WE ARE PRODUCING TRASH! Manufacturers need to begin taking accountability and as consumers we need to demand that the afterlife of each product be well thought-out and communicated to the wider public prior to production.
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