I live by the Hudson River and see plastic in it every time I go. That's not even trying to look for it. It's always there. I volunteer in beach clean-ups and there is always more trash than anyone can pick up.

Plastic kills wildlife, disrupts our systems, and such. Mentioning climate is a red herring. Actually, it isn't since plastic production takes energy and its profits contribute to drilling fossil fuels.

yeah, i'm not sure how plastic waste has become such a hot issue recently, when the immediate threat is climate change and plastic waste is such a small contributor to climate change.

plastic helps us reduce food waste, and food waste is a contributor to climate change. reducing plastic usage where it's unnecessary is obviously good, but plastic isn't inherently bad. sometimes it really is the best solution, even in single-use form.

Even in landfills, plastics pollute water and soil via phthalates and Bisphenol A.

https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic...

I don't see anywhere in the linked article making your claim.

It’s there:

> Chemical effects are especially problematic at the decomposition stage. Additives such as phthalates and Bisphenol A (widely known as BPA) leach out of plastic particles. These additives are known for their hormonal effects and can disrupt the hormone system of vertebrates and invertebrates alike. In addition, nano-sized particles may cause inflammation, traverse cellular barriers, and even cross highly selective membranes such as the blood-brain barrier or the placenta. Within the cell, they can trigger changes in gene expression and biochemical reactions, among other things.

"Even in landfills" per OPs claim. I don't see that claim being made in your selection there.

Decomposition... would occur... in landfill...

Landfills... are lined... so.. they don't... leach... into... groundwater..

You're forgetting the incentives to externalize such things. Developed countries love to pass their trash on to others who will be far less scrupulous.

For instance, it's been documented that most non final nuclear waste in France goes to sit in large open vats in eastern Europe. As far as the French nuclear industry is concerned, it's being "recycled".

> you can be quite confident that your plastic rubbish won’t reach the ocean

Alas this appears to be false. Plastic is being exported to Thailand et al for "recycling", since china has stopped accepting lowgrade rubbish.

This means that when they "process" it, can can endup being dumped in rivers, or blown by the wind. https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/uk-plastic-polluti...

Now, one can argue that plastic is a permanent store of carbon. The problem is that we continue to produce plastic, which releases loads of carbon.

So unless we reduce, reuse, and as a last resort recycled, we are continue to have issues.

The climate impact of paper bags is higher - even with recycling

That said, plastic bags do reach rivers in the west - far more than other plastic packaging. It might only be 1/10th of 1%, but that’s still a million bags a year clogging our rivers in the UK alone (at least until the number reduced)

> The climate impact of paper bags is higher - even with recycling

Plastic poisons wildlife and kills in other ways, so climate is a secondary, though significant, problem with plastic.

In any case, the impact of using bags you already have -- that is, no new bags -- is far lower and practical. Thrift stores are overflowing with canvas bags companies give away that people haven't yet learned to stop accepting since they have so many. I'm still using a bag I got in the 90s and refusing new ones.

Even tho most developed countries ship it overseas?