I haven’t been blogging much, not only because I haven’t chosen to prioritize blogging above some other things in my life, but also because I can’t seem to think of many positive topics, and I hate to be Downer Girl too often. Today I have another entry in the Unintended Consequences of SARS-CoV-2 category, which is mostly, though not always, negative. Warning: This one is negative.

In January 2018, China, which for the previous 25 years had been processing half of the world’s recycling, stopped doing so for most plastics and mixed paper. Since then plastics other than 1 and 2, which I think of as Pete and High-Def Pete, have mostly been stockpiled in hope of a solution or landfilled. Mostly landfilled, actually. Landfills are filling up, and landfill charges are increasing.

All of that happened pre-Covid 19.

Now we have the perfect storm of few plastic recycling options, low petroleum prices, and a dramatically increasing demand for plastics. That is, it is now cheaper to make new plastics directly from petroleum than to recycle plastics, and worldwide virgin plastic production is rising.

The medical profession has become a huge consumer of disposable plastics, and now we need disposable masks and gloves more than ever. Not to mention all those tubes and syringes and gowns. Home hemodialysis, a process I have witnessed, takes place 5-7 times per week, and each time generates plastic waste that overflows a 13-gallon trash bag. Plastic never dies, so all of it will end up in the landfill or the ocean.

Sliver of hope: bacteria that eat plastic? Maybe. Since modern building materials, including plumbing, are made of it, be careful what you wish for. There are a couple of organisms in this category already, but none that consume plastic anywhere near the rate at which we create it.

We’re very clever about extending our lifespans, yet somehow not very good at grasping how the systems of the planet work. The most hopeful thing I’ve seen in a while is the new Netflix movie Kiss the Dirt, a documentary outlining what appears to be a relatively easy and fast-acting solution to climate change, though the solution will only work if most of us participate.

The other thing humans aren’t that great at is working together. Wait, did I end on a Down note? Ok, watch the movie for a lift. We Can Do It!