Plastic production really began in earnest in the 1950s. It’s hard to remember, but we once got along without it. Of course, plastic offered great convenience, and its production skyrocketed. In 1967, when Dustin Hoffman was advised to go into plastics “The Graduate,” there were 25 million tons of plastic produced. These days, we’re making 300 million tons. At this point, the plastics industry is worth $4 trillion and almost half of what it's producing is single-use plastics — things that will be used once and almost instantly become trash.
Public outrage at this problem erupted in 1970, with the first Earth Day, and the industry has been successfully dodging the issue ever since. Through advertising, public outreach campaigns, lobbying, and partnerships with non-profits designed to seem “green,” plastics industry organizations have been blaming “litterbugs” for the growing menace and promoting the idea of recycling as the solution, while at the same time fighting every serious attempt to limit plastic production.
PITTSFIELD — Workers at a Pittsfield waste-to-energy facility risked breathing in smoke containing arsenic, cadmium and lead, the federal government says, a finding that confirms other accounts of hazards at the bankrupt plant.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Community Eco Power LLC, of Pittsfield, to respond by April 4 to violations it lodged Feb. 15 against the Hubbard Avenue plant, when it imposed $26,107 in penalties
The only argument I with this article is this section:
Look at the items on your plastic inventory list and ask yourself, "What can I replace the plastic with?" Chhotray is a big fan of going reusable, and her backpack is proof: "I carry my reusable water bottle, my reusable tumbler because I'm a tea addict. I have bamboo cutlery." She says some days she also carries chopsticks and a reusable straw. "My family sort of makes fun of me because my backpacks are starting to get bigger and bigger every year."
Arellano swapped bath products that came in plastic bottles for ones that come as bars — a shampoo bar and a bar of soap.
I don't think the way to reduce your trash is buy more trash. Seriously, do you need to go out and buy more sustainable products, when you probably already have too much junk? Just go into your cupboard and grab your drinking water bottle or metal silverware. No need to buy a special wood fork, you are going throw away when you can get one from your kitchen. Metal is easier to wash and keep clean, and it's not like metal silverware is real expensive.
The New York State Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee has long been concerned with the growing threat to the environment caused by the illegal disposal of hazardous and solid wastes. It has also noted that an ironic consequence of the development of environmental laws to control pollution has been the creation of a new era of opportunity for those who do not demur at criminal behavior if it guarantees easy profits. There is a substantial body of evidence that organized crime controls much of the solid waste disposal industry in New York State and elsewhere. There is also evidence that the criminal activity is not confined entirely to organized crime, but is also engaged in by other unscrupulous entrepreneurs; and that there have also been instances of multinational corporations not hesitating to jeopardize public health and safety.
Official documents are available, including the congressional hearings on Organized Crime Links to the Waste Disposal Industry, held in 1980 and 1981, which suggest the extent to which organized crime has become imbedded in the waste disposal industry.
