The Recycling Myth
By: Ocean Location
Tags: Activism, Environment, Ocean, Gen, Conservation

Written by Jayson Avilez

The world around us is dying, and it’s your responsibility to fix it. At first glance, this statement makes perfect sense. However, the balance between the parties responsible for the damage, and the role they play in helping fix their mess is unequal. For over a century, corporations worldwide have focused exclusively on profits and disregarded (often purposefully concealed) the damage their businesses are doing to our planet. As a result of this mindset, irreversible harm has already impacted our oceans, climate, and ecosystems.

The condition of our oceans are deteriorating more and more each day. Though there are many contributing factors to this, one of the most prominent is the pollution of oceans from plastic products. we collectively dump 8 million metric tons of plastic into our oceans– about 17.6 billion pounds . Note that these figures are from over five years ago, meaning that number is likely significantly larger today. The detrimental effects of plastic in our oceans is beyond dispute. However, the question of whose responsibility it is to fix this is very much debatable. All forms of life on earth will be affected by the destruction of our oceans, so it’s reasonable to assume that we are all responsible. And though this isn’t completely false, we must hold certain parties to a higher level of accountability than others.

In 2019, volunteers organized ocean cleanups on the shores of Morocco. During the five month-long operation, 36,280 pieces of waste were found– 85% of which was plastic. After surveying the debris and identifying its characteristics, a team of volunteers found that Coca-Cola, Danone, and Mondelez International topped the list of brands from which the plastic came from (Franklin, 2019). If the latter two names don’t sound familiar, maybe one of their products will:

Danone: Silk®, Activia®, Evian®, Danimals®, etc.

Mondelez International: Chips Ahoy®, Cadbury®, Oreo®, Ritz®, Trident®, etc.

Reference this short video for more information on this.

If these and other organizations are the primary source of plastic littering our oceans, why are we being given the responsibility to repair their damage?

The term “reduce, reuse, recycle” has been around for decades. Most would agree that this expression encourages people to be more environmentally conscious, and it has been successful in this sense. However, encouraging individuals to take action towards fixing the mess that large corporations have been making for decades is blatant victim-blaming. It wasn’t you who contaminated the groundwater of a city in I India with over one million residents– potentially putting each of them at risk of illness. Nor was it you who created a coverup nonprofit with an appealing name, “Keep America Beautiful,” only to invest money in ads that promote the concept of personal carbon footprint. That wasn’t you, that was British Petroleum (BP). The same BP that lied to the U.S. Congress about how disastrous the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was; an executive told Congress that roughly 5,000 barrels were being spilled a day while the actual number was 600,000. The same BP that hired an advertising firm to support the idea that climate change is not their fault; it’s yours.

The narrative needs to be changed. No longer should we only focus on what we can do because those greatly responsible refuse to hold themselves accountable. Let’s focus the attention on large corporations who have the resources to help reverse the damage done. Continue to recycle and reduce your carbon footprint, but remember to acknowledge the considerable mistakes made by the parties responsible. After all, their recklessness affects you and every life who has yet to live.

Coca-Cola makes on average $37,000,000 a year.

The average salary in America is $31,000.

Mondelez International makes roughly $25,000,000 a year.

The cost of organizing volunteers to clean a beach is $1000, at most.

BP makes on average $200,000,000 a year.

The annual cost of operating “Mr. Trash Wheel,” a machine that cleans up debris from rivers (and has googly eyes), is $100,000.

With all of this information, you may ask: what can I do to make a difference? The possibilities are endless, but here are some places to start:

Supporting brands taking action against climate change

Sharing this information with everyone you can

Refusing to purchase products that use unnecessary plastic (as shown below)

Image Credits: Reddit

As individuals, we are all capable of changing our lifestyles for the good of the environment. However, large corporations, and the millions in profits they receive, can make a serious impact. While you should do everything you can to save our planet and oceans, don’t feel responsible for the harmful actions of other corporations. Focus on holding them accountable for their actions, and the earth will thank you.

References:

Alegado, J. (2018, October 9). Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé found to be worst plastic polluters worldwide in global cleanups and brand audits. Retrieved from Break Free From Plastic: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2018/10/09/globalbrandauditreport/

Britta Hardesty, C. W. (2015, February 12). Eight million tonnes of plastic are going into the ocean each year. Retrieved from The Conservation: https://theconversation.com/eight-million-tonnes-of-plastic-are-going-into-the-ocean-each-year-37521

Earth Talk. (2019, July 17). Coca-Cola Charged With Groundwater Depletion and Pollution in India. Retrieved from Thought Co.: https://www.thoughtco.com/coca-cola-groundwater-depletion-in-india-1204204

Finn, K. (2015, June 5). BP executive acquitted of lying about Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Retrieved from Reuters: BP executive acquitted of lying about Gulf of Mexico oil spill https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-bp/bp-executive-acquitted-of-lying-about-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-idINKBN0OL23020150605

Franklin, M. (2019, October 23). Coca-Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo named top plastic polluters for the second year in a row. Retrieved from Break Free From Plastic: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2018/

Heede, R. (2014). Tracing anthropogenic carbon dioxide and methane emissions to fossil fuel and cement producers, 1854–2010. Climatic Change(122), 229–241. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0986-y

Kaufman, M. (2020). The carbon footprint sham. Retrieved from Mashable: https://mashable.com/feature/carbon-footprint-pr-campaign-sham/

Schleifstein, M. (2014, June 28). Ex-BP executive can be charged with lying to Congress, court rules. Retrieved from NOLA: https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_386e0b80-e1c2-5524-830f-489968860790.html