Mar 22 - Rethinking Plastic Consumption

Recently, Susan Freinkel did an op/ed in the NY Times titled "Plastic: Too Good to Throw Away" where she explains that plastic was originally created to substitute limited natural materials such as ivory and tortoiseshell. However, plastics nowadays are designed for single-use products, such as plastic bags, drinking straws, packaging, etc. Because of the disposable nature and ubiquity of these products, consumers do not think about the oil used to produce plastics.

Freinkel encourages a 3 prong approach for rethinking plastics:
- using technology to make better safer plastics
- promote public policy that would address better recycling systems and more business responsibility
- reduce plastic consumption

Learn more about what CAW is doing to reduce or recycle plastic:

• AB 1149 (Gordon and Wieckowski) will extend the sunset of a successful closed-loop plastics recycling program.
• AB 298 (Brownley) will make alternatives to single-use plastic bags safer for consumers.
• See what we’re doing to fight plastic bag and expanded polystyrene litter
• Check out our Plastic Litter and Waste Reduction Campaign.