Delusions of Grandeur: Why reusing single use plastic is a bad idea

Plastic is unstable.  Some plastics are more unstable than others but today I’m talking about the worst of the worst, and that is single-use plastic.  Plastic is a slurry of fossil fuel and chemicals mixed together to create something.  Single-use plastic is the most unstable because it is designed to be used for an extremely brief moment in time and then discarded to the landfill or the recycling center where it will most likely be rejected as recyclable and then it goes to the landfill anyway.  I like Dairy Queen. Almost weekly I get a blizzard and when I’m done I compost the cup it comes in and then I wash the iconic red spoon and use them in my son’s school lunches. Seems like a good idea to reuse something right? Wrong. What happens to unstable single-use plastic is it breaks down and releases its chemicals.  Sure it looks fine but on a molecular level it is being washed and used and washed and used and each time it breaks down a little more and a little more.  I’ve washed straws from McDonald’s, solo cups, plastic utensils, and water bottles to reuse because I thought I was helping. In reality I’ve taken something that is literally poisonous and given it to the people I love the most to use.  I work in the medical industry, for a surgical group, and I’ve heard on a multitude of occasions that some cancers are caused from “environmental factors.” Well what does that mean exactly? Lots of things but one of the things it means is that by using plastic that is unstable we are creating a myriad of health issue for ourselves.  So how do we solve this issue? By refusing plastic (especially single-use plastic) whenever possible. Choose reusable and plan ahead so you can skip the noxious slurry of fossil fuel and chemical soup.