The Problem With Plastics: Non-Renewable Resources

According to Wikipedia, a non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate. Once depleted there is no more available for future needs. They include coal, petroleum, natural gas, aquifers, and uranium. Timber and metals are considered a renewable resource because they can be grown and/or infinitely recycled, but we argue they are being consumed at a rate that exceeds its supply. 


But that's another story. 


All plastics start from the same source: petroleum. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource, which means eventually we will run out- not to mention the damage we are doing to the Earth through drilling and consuming this resource (we'll get to climate change later).


According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration: 


In 2006, about 331 million barrels of liquid petroleum gases (LPG) and natural gas liquids (NGL) were used to make plastic products in the plastic materials and resins industry in the United States, equal to about 4.6% of total U.S. petroleum consumption. Of the total, 329 million barrels were used as feedstock [for plastic production] and 2 million barrels were consumed as fuel.

In addition to petroleum, about 11 billion cubic feet of natural gas were used as feedstock [for plastic production] and 324 billion cubic feet were burned as fuel, equal to about 1.5% of total U.S. natural gas consumption in 2006. Electricity is also used to manufacture plastic materials and resins: in 2006, about 19.2 billion kilowatt-hours, less than 1% of total U.S. electricity consumption. Only about 1.4% of the total U.S. petroleum consumed in 2006 was used to generate electricity.

331 million barrels?!? That's a lot. More accurately, that's too much. To drive it home, 331 million barrels of petroleum can provide electricity to more than 55 million homes, or over 22 million cars. 

How wasteful is that?

Several companies have come up with machines to convert plastics back into petroleum, but the process is expensive and the machine is way costly. This guy, reported from Gizmag, found a way to process all types of plastic, which was until recently unheard of. The Japanese created a more affordable machine (still way expensive to own and operate and, not to mention, slooooowwwwwww) that could very well be a household product if you'd like, but it only processes Numbers 2, 3, and 4 type plastics. Here's a video about it:

Several companies have also tried coming up with new ways of creating plastics that will biodegrade. Pepsico announced earlier this year that the beginning of 2012 marks the start of a new bottle, the first totally plant based, petroleum- free, totally bio-degradable plastic bottle, made from switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. As you may have noted, those are all renewable resources. They are one of the first, and we hope more are to follow, but we can't help but point out that even these machines use energy, and that plastics are still produced and used by all those other companies out there today, thousands of them, and the petroleum just keeps getting used up.

What if petroleum was hard cash? 

(sometimes it seems to be close, but we know it's not) 

What if money were a non-renewable resource? What if you were given the amount of money you would have ever had at the beginning of your life? Would you go spend it all? Would you save it? Would you waste it, or spend it wisely? Would you use it on things you would just throw away, things that would later do damage to your very own property and body? 

We know we wouldn't, and we also know that if using non-renewable resources for disposable items- items that will never go away, that are harmful to you and the Earth- if that hurt our wallets, we'd have a different situation on our hands. 

But, again, that's another story.

The problem with non-renewable resources (aside from the obvious that it has a limit and will eventually run out) is that we have to use some of it, especially in our day and age. Is there a responsible amount to use? We believe so. And so far, we have far exceeded any sort of fair, mindful quantity. 

Refusing plastics and choosing glass and aluminum packaging, which are infinitely recyclable- unlike plastics- contributes to a 40% reduction in energy consumption. Besides, glass is recycled at a rate of 80% and aluminum at a rate of 58%. Plastics suck at 7% total (Pfffft).

We refuse the use of plastics because they are contributing to a depletion in a non-renewable resource, and we hope sharing our knowledge with you will help you make a similar choice. 

Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks for REFUSING!