Isn't it kinda weird how much stuff is made out of plastic? Like I know why it happens, I know that it cost companies less money to just produce single-use plastics instead an actually viable product, but isn't it weird that that's how it works? Like plastic doesn't even do a good job.
\Like everyone I know prefers to buy coke in glass when they can, but it's only ever sold in plastic. The people I share my yard with have a little plastic fence that keeps falling over, but one of metal posts and chicken wire would sure, be more expensive, but also actually work. My bottle brush broke again this week. At work the plastic trim on the baseboard leaks so the back access way (the other side of the wall!?) gets wet whenever I clean the cutting room.
I know that more durable materials are more expensive. I know that. But how is drilling oil, pushing it through an intense refining process, shipping it across the world, turning it into bottles, cheaper than buying glass from recycling plant, clean good bottles and reforming broken ones?And is there a middle I'm just not seeing?
And I work in a grocery store, I touch so much plastic every single day. And it's been this way for so long I can barely even imagine how it would even work other wise. I guess just don't prepackage meat or cheese or whatever? Cuz you could use glass stuff, and metal for stuff, but how were people selling ground beef before plastic?
I just hate plastic. Even if it had zero climate impact, it's just annoying to use so much of the time. Technically I know it is really strong for it's weight, but it breaks all the time, and when it breaks you can't really fix it so you have to replace it. But the worst is that there's not really any other options. Soap can come in bars, so that's a switch away from plastic. Water bottle, grocery bag, those are easy switches. But I don't think I've ever seen lotion not in plastic, or Ibuprofen, or lunch meat, or bread, or rice - even on the rare occasion I see the giant bags, I remember those as plastic too. And I try to buy less plastic and use less but I can't. It's literally not up to me how much plastic I use and it's so incredibly frustrating.
It feels like everything is made for rich and fancy people, or by slave labor with pennies for material cost. There should be a middle somewhere, but I never seem to find it.