Who is responsible?
Whenever I find plastic utensils included in my take-out order, I’m flooded with guilt. This also happens when I buy something and find that it is packaged in an obscene amount of plastic. On the one hand, I acknowledge the guilt as a positive reaction because it means I’m at least aware that this is a problem. On the other hand, I’m mad at the company that chose to package their items this way. Do they feel a sense of guilt for every order they ship? Unlikely. It’s time to evolve how we combat waste and who shoulders the responsibility for change.
A combination of changing consumer habits, driving corporate change, and demanding government oversight will help us get there.
“Ad” to the blame
Starting in the 1950s a genius marketing tactic gave birth to the now-familiar “litterbug” ad campaign. Funded by giants of the manufacturing industry (the same companies who depend on consumption and consumer demand for single-use items), the campaign originally encouraged people to stop throwing trash on the side of highways. Seems like a positive thing, right?
The problem is that this shifted focus from the manufacturers and corporations creating the waste in the first place to the disposal habits of consumers. Corporate executives knew that if trash visibly piled up on the side of the road, people would start to question whether this disposable, single-use culture was actually worth the convenience they were being sold. These corporations saw the financial gains related to the production of items meant to be used once, thrown away, and then bought again. Ultimately, the gains outweighed the possible downsides of increasing amounts of trash and pollution from their manufacturing practices.
This mindset is catching up to us now. Since mass production began in the 1950s, more than 8 billion tons of plastic items have been produced. The overwhelming majority of those items ended up in landfills and literal tons made their way to the ocean. We haven’t come close to solving this waste problem and it’s getting harder for us to hide from the results of our disposable culture.
Individual actions do add up
There are things we can do as individual consumers to reduce the waste and pollution that ends up in our oceans, rivers, and air. However, we also must advocate for better regulations and an honest reckoning from the industries responsible for the bulk of pollution and perpetuating the sale of single-use items. By shifting the focus back to where it belongs (onto the companies), we can start to develop solutions with real results.
As a consumer, here are a few things you can do:
Limit the purchase of single-use items and reuse what you can. Most companies make decisions based on how they will affect their bottom line. When enough people vote with their wallets (i.e. don’t buy things that are packaged in plastic) companies start to listen.
Share what we’re doing with family and friends. You never know who you might inspire to try something new. Share what you’re doing, and why, with someone and encourage them to try it too.
Reach out to companies on social media and tell elected representatives to hold companies responsible for their polluting practices. Businesses exist to make a profit, and they do so by building a loyal customer base. Holding corporate executives accountable for their actions can produce results–see Coca-Cola’s and Evian’s responses to how they package their beverages. Making sure governments put regulations in place to make it hurt when they don’t step up will speed that process up.
These actions may seem trivial. However, when you consider the collective impact of communities acting as one, it’s monumental. First, the shift in purchasing behavior alone signals to companies that their outdated way of production and packaging is no longer serving the market. They will have to adapt or go out of business. Second, one person taking action might inspire five others to do the same. As more people are influenced to take action, the results are magnified.
We can’t lose sight of the goal: make companies take responsibility for perpetuating the wasteful, convenience-driven economy.
Demand increased regulation
Governments move slowly; sometimes glacially. This is why direct action is key to making a change. However, to maintain and further spread changes achieved as a result of direct action, government regulations need to be in place as well. This will force compliance from laggard companies that aren’t swayed by public opinion or who don’t see the long-term effects of their actions for what they are–deadly.
There are some bright spots on the horizon, including the Paris Climate Agreement. But we’ll need to push hard for regulations that have actual teeth–not simply those with inspirational but ultimately empty words. Governments must hold companies accountable with clear and painful consequences both domestically and across national borders, just as they do for infractions against trade agreements.
We’re on track to have over 12 billion tons of plastic in landfills by 2050. Recognizing the strategic shift that took place more than six decades ago to allow for the explosive growth in disposable plastic items is the first step to changing this trajectory. Taking action is the essential next step. A combination of shifting individual habits and how we hold corporations accountable is the only way out of this wasteland.
