The Violent Afterlife of a Recycled Plastic Bottle

The Violent Afterlife of a Recycled Plastic Bottle
theatlantic.com

Recycling isn't the answer, it's part of the problem. We're all wearing, eating from and washing in, plastic. Plastic or PET comes from crude oil. No health concerns here.

- Plastic in our clothing? Polyester is PET: http://qz.com/414223/if-your-clothes-arent-already-made-out-...

- " PET, a plastic derived from crude oil that’s used to make soda and ketchup bottles."

- "In the last few decades, production of the material has surged. Between 1980 and 2007, the year polyester definitively overtook cotton as the world’s dominant fiber, the amount of polyester produced annually increased from 5.3 million tonnes (5.8 million tons) to 30.9 million tonnes (34 million tons), according to Tecnon Orbichem. By 2025, that number is projected to nearly triple, to 90.5 million tonnes (99.8 million tons)."

- "Over 50 percent of what is placed into New York City’s recycling ends up in a landfill"

- “Unfortunately the bags (used to transport platics) themselves can’t be recycled—they are too dirty, so they will end up in a landfill.”

- “There is plastic in everything—in your car, in your home, in every part of your life,” says CarbonLite’s CEO, Leon Farahnik. “Globally, 100 billion pounds of PET are used in a year: 70 billion pounds goes to carpet and clothing; 30 billion pounds goes into packaging.” That’s a lot of plastic

- "We don't know if and how many people die from plastic exposure," says Dr. Halden, "but we do know that in the developed world we suffer from a lot of diseases—breast cancer, obesity and early onset puberty—that are less prevalent in developing countries. These are a result of our lifestyle." He adds: "From a public health perspective, we should consider heated plastic an unnecessary source of exposure to harmful elements and eliminate it." http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014241278873244937045784332...

- "(BPA is used) in everything from the lining of metal soup cans to receipt paper. The FDA banned the use of BPA in baby bottles in July 2012, because of growing consumer concerns over its link to developmental delays.

While the recycling numbers at the bottom of plastic items "are not meant to provide health information or risks," Dr. Halden says, they can sometimes provide clues to the chemicals in them. For example, No. 7, says Dr. Halden, means "there is a high likelihood" that Bisphenol A is in it. That reusable water bottle sitting on your desk? "Think of it as one big BPA vessel," he says.