Plastic, Waste, Environment

Discussions concerning the socio-environmental harms and the inadequacies of effectively recycling plastics are now well rehearsed. These issues are counterbalanced by plastic’s enormous versatility and low production costs. To enable plastic to remain a useful material its inability to degrade needs to be addressed. Current practice almost forces consumers to purchase non-recyclable containers if they want to benefit from the contents. Governments should support moves away from recycling towards biodegradable with regards plastic containers. The following is a summary of the perspectives of approximately 80 young people studying Anthropology at undergraduate level with regards plastic consumption and consumer choice. The information results from 3 years of informal qualitative data collection. This document first describes the courses and then culminates with the students’ suggestions for the future that arose from their research. It also demonstrates the apprehensions young people have towards plastic bottles, cups and other non-biodegradable containers.