Plastic is a limited resource

What is plastic?
Plassein is the Greek root which means “to mold or shape” The name suits well the versatility of plastic as a material. Plastic is made from combinations of hydrocarbon with various byproducts from the process of refining oil and natural gas.

The source material is very cheap because it’s the byproduct, or waste, of the oil industry. There is an ever growing demand for oil for our cars, transportation of goods and use in industries like agriculture. However, oil is a limited resource, which means that we will run out at some point. Some people say that we have already reached peak levels of oil extraction, so that the quantity of oil we are able to drill is already in decline.

Pollution which is caused in extraction:
Extracting, processing & burning fossil fuels introduces huge volumes of harmful chemicals into our environment
Industry contaminates fresh water. This stress degrades the quality of our water and makes it scarce.

Individual Actions:
It is important that we take into account the larger social and environmental impacts of the decisions we make. Because plastic has become a material which fills our notions of convenience in a "throw-away" culture, its value has been reduced. We can recognize the importance of this valuable material and use it in ways that benefit us and the environment instead of letting it persist as the monumental problem it has become.