Sadly, the truth is that for decades we have been fed the lie and the illusion that recycling and consumer responsibility will solve the plastic crisis. But the reality and the truth is that this crisis was never about waste management or recycling—it has always been about production and consumption. The fossil fuel industry and its profiteers, threatened by the rise of renewable energy, has doubled down on plastic as a financial lifeline. Petrochemical companies are investing billions to expand plastics manufacturing, with production expected to triple by 2060 (OECD, 2022). In fact, petrochemicals—plastics, synthetic fertilizers, and other petroleum-based products—are now the fastest-growing segment of oil demand (Mufson, 2023). As fossil fuel companies double down and pivot further toward more plastic, forever, they are attempting to ensure that disposable and single-use waste will continue to smother the planet, all in the name of profits at any cost.

Capitalism, in its current form, requires continuous expansion, and the plastic industry is its perfect embodiment: infinite production of disposable goods, externalized costs borne by the natural world and the public health nexus, and a synthetic and manufactured culture of convenience that keeps consuming, like a cancerous growth; never satiated. We live under an extractive economic system that rewards overproduction while placing the burden of waste primarily on individuals, rather than corporate and state polluters. We are drowning in our own trash, and so is everyone else around the globe.

Richard Daley.

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