I will disagree on the basis that the overall benefit to society is positive before the plastic is disposed of as waste.
1. Looking at the economics plastic is clearly the top economic solution to many problems very cheap to produce for the value they provide.
The plastics industry only consumes 4% of the world’s oil production as feedstock. The rest is used for energy and transport. The production of most plastic products is not energy intensive compared to metals, glass and paper.
Plastic products play a major role in saving and conserving energy and power safety. Here are some examples.
• 22% of an Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft is built with lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastics, saving fuel and lowering operating costs by 15%
• 105kg of plastics, rather than traditional materials in a car weighing 1,000kg, makes possible a fuel saving of 750 litres over a lifespan of 90,000 miles. This reduces oil consumption by 12 million tonnes and consequently CO2 emissions by 30 million tonnes in the European Union.
• BMW in its 6 series Coupe uses a rear boot lid made of composites and thermoplastic front wings. This has saved 100 kilos in weight.
• Without plastics, packaging weight could increase by as much as 400%, production and energy costs could double and material wastage increase by 150%
• Renewable energies rely on plastics (pipes, solar panels, wind turbines, rotors)
• PVC-U double glazed windows and doors are essential for an energy efficient home. They have a minimum 35 years life and are easily maintained. The BRE’s Green Guide has given PVC-U windows an A rating
• Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Insulation has a key role to play with the heating and cooling of buildings accounting for half of Europe’s total energy consumption
• Durable and flexible plastic pipes prevent leakage of valuable water. 772 miles of London cracked Victorian water mains are being replaced by blue plastic pipes
• Modern plastic processing machinery (injection moulding) use between 20%-50% less energy compared to 10 years ago. All electric machines would yield a 75% overall saving.
•Plastics do not conduct electricity so PVC is widely used to insulate wiring, while thermosets are used for switches, light fittings and handles
• A plastic carrier bag weighs six times less that alternative materials
• Use of plastic bottles rather than alternatives leads to savings of up to 40% on distribution fuel costs and saves on transport pollution.
2. Most waste ends in landfill. The number one issue with landfill is methane release
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill_gas
Clearly, plastic by not breaking down helps reduce methane gas in landfill and this is a good thing
3. Plastics have the advantage of a high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing minimal material usage (and low cost) in packaging design (
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...STB20080304F3/ which illustrates the use of plastics and glass packaging for the same product). On average, plastic packaging accounts for between 1 and 3 per cent of the total product weight. For instance, it takes 2 g of plastic film to package 200 g of cheese; 1.5 l of liquid can be safely stored in a 38 g bottle and a tub containing 125 g of yoghurt weighs only 4.5 g. The ecological balance sheet of plastic packaging, i.e. the sum total of the corresponding energy consumption for production, transport and disposal and other effects on the environment, is often superior to that of competing materials. For example, in one study, in switching from gable-top milk cartons manufactured from a paper/aluminium/plastic composite to plastic pouches, the energy saving in production of the package was estimated to be 72 per cent, a 50 per cent saving in refrigeration space contributed to further energy savings and the waste stream to landfill was reduced by 90 per cent (API 1996).