Tonight I read an article by Tom Wroblesky about the plastic bag ban. He is unhappy with having too many reusable bags and can’t seem to find a permanent place in his house. He complained that he forgot them while shopping and that he had to lay out the groceries to properly pack them. It’s not a problem without a bag. These are Tom’s questions.
He then went on to talk about how we can’t use plastic bags at the checkout to buy food wrapped in plastic. I agree. These are questions. The plastic bag ban was a start, but nothing more. This is not a definitive solution to reduce the use of single-use plastic, and we must not stop there.
I’ve been used to recycling for as long as I can remember, as if my choice to put plastic bottles in a particular trash can would save the world. In fact, we continue to donate to companies that continue to deliver our goods in unstable plastic containers. Nothing induces these companies to change their behavior as they continue to earn financial profits. The sad truth is that most of what is recycled is not recyclable, and plastic that can only be recycled a certain number of times ends up in landfills.
So what’s the real problem? The problem is that our elected officials have let us down year after year by not pressuring corporations to use more sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging. have been invested in the United States, but they are mainly focused on decarbonization efforts. Locally, we elected New York State officials could pass legislation to address the massive amount of plastic packaging we see in New York City stores, but they don’t.
Without the help of our legislators, there is something we can do to address systemic change. We can call members of the New York State Assembly and City Council. We can call stores and ask them about the eco brands we know. We should also consider our purchases as votes. Every time we choose a product with more sustainable packaging, we are taking money from the mainstream companies that continue to use plastic packaging and recklessly give up.
As a community, city, state, and nation, we must always look for ways to improve ourselves. When problems are identified, we must address them by suggesting ways to improve and improve.
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Post time: Sep-23-2022