A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and the number will jump another 20% [to top half a trillion by 2021], creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will be as serious as climate change.
..Fewer than half of the bottles bought in 2016 were collected for recycling and just 7% of those collected were turned into new bottles. Instead most plastic bottles produced end up in landfill or in the ocean.
See: A million bottles a minute: world’s plastic binge ‘as dangerous as climate change.’
We avoid take out food containers and use reusable cups and plates, but things like personal care products are nearly impossible to find today in non-plastic containers. Consumer choices are horrible.
Another example: I have written Starbucks head office and asked why their restaurants do not offer customers recycling receptacles on site. They tell me that their landlords are not providing the service in most locations.
Question then becomes: why are municipalities allowing commercial landlords to not offer recycling pick up as part of the property services. And why are chains like Starbucks not demonstrating leadership by stopping the use of plastic containers and demanding that recycling pick up is included as part of their lease contracts? Why are we customers and shareholders not insisting that they do?
