How Bad is Plastic? What is it Doing Now? Where Did it Come From? Who Knows What the F* to Do Next?**
G’day Legends, Let’s Talk Plastic
This is Jai. If it’s in writing, it’s generally me because Reece is one clever cookie but is dyslexic as f*.**
So, how bad is plastic, really? What are its effects on the environment? What does the latest research say?
How much of it is inside me, you, your dog, your unborn children, and the sushi you ate last week?
Buckle up, mate. Turns out, it’s pretty f*ing hectic**.
1. The Origin Story of Plastic – The Accidental Nightmare
You know that feeling when you invent something, thinking it’s the next big thing, only to find out you’ve doomed the entire planet?
That’s the tragic origin story of plastic.
Once Upon a Time in 1907…
A Belgian-American chemist named Leo Baekeland was mucking around with chemicals when he accidentally created Bakelite, the first true synthetic plastic.
At the time, this was revolutionary. Before plastic, we had to make stuff out of natural materials like:
✅ Wood
✅ Glass
✅ Metal
✅ Animal bones (yep, early combs were made from tortoiseshells and elephant tusks—brutal).
Plastic changed everything. Suddenly, we had a material that was:
✔️ Durable
✔️ Cheap
✔️ Could be shaped into anything
Sounds great, right? Well…
Then World War II Happened.
During the war, plastic production skyrocketed. It was used in:
- Parachutes
- Helmet liners
- Weapon parts
- Medical equipment
Governments loved plastic. It was easy to mass-produce and didn’t rely on scarce natural materials.
After the war, companies thought, “Hey, what if we used this amazing, indestructible material… for everything?”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Welcome to the Age of Disposable Crap.
By the 1950s, plastic had invaded:
- Kitchens (Tupperware parties became a thing).
- Supermarkets (hello, plastic packaging).
- Toys (Barbie, LEGO, everything you played with as a kid).
- Clothing (yep, polyester is basically plastic).
What started as a scientific breakthrough turned into a nightmare when corporations realized they could make billions by convincing people to use something once and throw it away.
And now? We are drowning in plastic.
2. The Plastic Recycling Lie – A Scam by Big Oil
We’ve all been told the same thing:
👉 “Just recycle! It’s fine! You’re helping the planet!”
I hate to break it to you, but that’s absolute bulls*.**
Where Did the Recycling Scam Begin?
In the 1970s, oil companies (yes, the same ones that brought us climate change) started realizing that the public was getting nervous about plastic pollution.
Rather than slow down production, they came up with a brilliant (evil) idea:
🗣 “Let’s make people think they can recycle plastic, so they don’t stop buying it.”
They created recycling campaigns and stamped plastic products with those cute little ‘recycling’ symbols.
Here’s what they didn’t tell us:
🚨 Most plastics CANNOT be recycled.
🚨 Recycling plastic is expensive and complicated.
🚨 Only about 9% of plastic ever produced has actually been recycled.
The rest?
❌ Landfills (where it sits for 500+ years).
❌ Oceans (where it breaks into microplastics and enters the food chain).
❌ Incinerators (where burning it releases highly toxic chemicals).
Which Plastics Actually Get Recycled?
There are seven types of plastic, but only TWO are commonly recycled:
✅ #1 PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) – Used in water bottles.
✅ #2 HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) – Used in milk jugs and detergent bottles.
Everything else? Pretty much landfill-bound.
So Why Are We Still Told to Recycle?
Because it keeps the plastic industry alive. If people think they’re helping by recycling, they’ll keep buying plastic.
Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry profits big-time—because plastic is literally made from fossil fuels.
Yep. Every time you buy plastic, you’re supporting the same industry causing climate change.
Depressed yet? Me too. Let’s move on.
3. How Much Plastic is Inside You?
Bad news: You Are Now Part Plastic.
Microplastics are inside every single human on Earth.
Scientists have found plastic in:
🧠 Brains
💀 Lungs
🍼 Breast milk
🥩 Meat and seafood
🍺 Beer (yes, even your beer is plastic-tainted).
The ‘Credit Card’ Fact
On average, people ingest 5 grams of plastic every week.
That’s about the size of:
💳 One credit card.
🥄 A teaspoon of plastic.
What Does That Do to Us?
No one knows for sure yet (terrifying, right?), but early studies suggest microplastics:
- Mess with our hormones (endocrine disruption).
- Increase the risk of cancer.
- Weaken the immune system.
- Lower sperm counts (yep, plastics are f***ing up our ability to reproduce).
And the worst part?
We have NO way to remove them from our bodies.
4. The First Ever Lifecycle Assessment – Coca-Cola’s Role in Plastic Hell
You know Coca-Cola, right? That innocent little soda brand that just wants to sell you carbonated sugar water?
Well, they’re also the world’s biggest plastic polluter.
- In the 1970s, Coca-Cola conducted one of the first-ever lifecycle assessments on plastic.
- The results? Plastic bottles were TERRIBLE for the environment.
- Their response?
- Instead of fixing the issue, they doubled down.
- They shifted the blame onto consumers—pushing the “Recycle, Please!” messaging.
- Meanwhile, they pump out billions of plastic bottles every year.
To this day, Coca-Cola produces over 120 billion plastic bottles annually.
🚨 And most of them are NOT recycled.
Fun Fact: Coca-Cola Also Funds “Recycling Initiatives”
Translation: They pretend to care while continuing to flood the planet with plastic.
5. How Plastics Screw with Your Hormones
Alright, so we’ve established that plastic is literally inside us. But what’s it doing in there?
Meet Endocrine Disruptors – The Chemical Aholes of the Plastic World**
Most plastics contain chemicals like:
- BPA (Bisphenol A) – Found in plastic bottles, food containers, and receipts.
- Phthalates – Used in soft plastics like cling wrap and shampoo bottles.
- PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) – Used in non-stick coatings, waterproof clothing, and fast-food wrappers.
What do they do?
They mimic hormones in the body, particularly estrogen, and mess with your entire system.
Side Effects of Plastic Chemicals in Your Body:
🛑 Lower sperm counts – Studies show men today have HALF the sperm count of their grandfathers, thanks to plastics and environmental toxins.
🛑 Fertility issues – Both men and women are getting hit with higher rates of infertility.
🛑 Increased cancer risk – BPA and phthalates have been linked to breast, prostate, and testicular cancer.
🛑 Obesity & metabolic disorders – These chemicals can literally make you gain weight by disrupting how your body stores fat.
🛑 Early puberty in kids – Some kids are hitting puberty at age 6 or 7 because they’re exposed to too many endocrine disruptors.
Basically, plastics are doing their best to turn us all into infertile blobs with messed-up hormones.
And guess what? BPA-free plastic isn’t any better.
- When companies started removing BPA, they replaced it with BPS and BPF, which are just as bad (if not worse).
- A recent study found that BPA-free plastics still cause endocrine disruption and reproductive issues.
So yeah… avoiding BPA is great, but plastic as a whole is still a problem.
6. The “Forever Chemicals” in Your Kitchen
You ever cook something in a non-stick pan and wonder why it magically doesn’t stick?
Meet PFAS chemicals—a.k.a. "Forever Chemicals" because they never break down in the environment or your body.
Where Are They Hiding?
✅ Non-stick cookware (Teflon and similar coatings).
✅ Fast-food packaging (McDonald's wrappers, pizza boxes, popcorn bags).
✅ Waterproof clothing (jackets, raincoats).
✅ Stain-resistant carpets and furniture (yep, your couch is toxic).
✅ Your bloodstream.
Why Are They So Bad?
🔴 Linked to cancer – Especially kidney, liver, and testicular cancer.
🔴 Mess up your immune system – PFAS exposure is linked to weakened immune function.
🔴 Increase cholesterol & obesity risk – Mess with how your body processes fat.
🔴 Stay in your body FOREVER – They literally do not break down. Ever.
That means even if we banned them today, they’d still be in our water, soil, and food for generations.
And the worst part?
🔥 When they burn, they release even more deadly chemicals into the air.
🔥 Firefighters, factory workers, and military personnel (who are exposed to these chemicals the most) are seeing skyrocketing rates of cancer because of them.
TL;DR – If you own a Teflon pan, congratulations, you’ve been marinating in chemicals that will outlive you.
7. Are We Totally Screwed, or Is There Hope?
Okay, so at this point, you might be thinking,
"Alright Jai, this is all super f*ing depressing. Can we DO anything?"**
Good news! Scientists haven’t completely given up on us yet.
Some Cool New Plastic-Busting Discoveries:
🦠 Plastic-Eating Bacteria – In 2016, scientists in Japan discovered a microbe (Ideonella sakaiensis) that literally eats plastic and breaks it down.
🍄 Mushrooms That Eat Plastic – Certain fungi have been found to degrade polyurethane (one of the nastiest plastics out there).
💧 Enzymes That Break Down PET Plastic in Hours – Scientists engineered an enzyme that can decompose plastic in days instead of centuries.
These discoveries could be game-changers if they’re scaled up.
The problem?
🚨 The plastic industry is fighting against these innovations because it threatens their profits.
Of course.
But let’s get real—while new science is amazing, the best solution is to just…
stop using so much plastic in the first place.
Which brings us to…
8. What You Can Actually Do (That Isn’t Completely Insane)
Look, we’re not gonna tell you to become a plastic-free monk who only drinks from bamboo straws and bathes in rainwater.
But if you want to reduce your exposure to plastic without going insane, here are some easy, high-impact swaps:
✅ Ditch Plastic Food Storage – Switch to stainless steel (like Cribbie—yes, shameless plug) or glass containers.
✅ Use a Water Filter – Many tap water sources contain microplastics. A good carbon or reverse osmosis filter helps remove them.
✅ Say No to Receipts – Paper receipts are coated in BPA (which absorbs into your skin instantly).
✅ Avoid Canned Foods – Most cans are lined with plastic coatings full of BPA.
✅ Use a Real Fork – Stop eating with disposable plastic cutlery (especially the black ones, which are almost never recyclable).
✅ Buy in Bulk Where Possible – Less packaging = less plastic waste.
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s awareness. Even small swaps make a difference over time.
9. Governments Are Finally (Kinda) Doing Something
Big corporations aren’t gonna fix this mess, so it’s up to governments to step in.
🌍 Europe: Banned certain single-use plastics in 2021.
🍁 Canada: Banned plastic bags, cutlery, and straws in 2023.
🇦🇺 Australia: Some states have bans on straws and bags, but big corporations are lobbying to slow progress.
🇺🇸 The US: (laughs in fossil fuel industry) Still drowning in plastic, but some cities and states are passing local bans.
Governments are moving, but not fast enough. Corporate interests still drive policy.
This is why public pressure matters. The more we call out corporate plastic BS, the harder it is for them to keep pretending they’re not the problem.
Final Thoughts: WTF Do We Do Now?
So, what did we learn?
✅ Plastic is in EVERYTHING, including your body.
✅ The recycling system is a scam.
✅ Big Oil and Big Plastic want us to keep consuming.
✅ There ARE solutions, but corporations don’t want them to scale up.
The takeaway? Do what you can, but don’t fall for the guilt trap.
The problem isn’t individual consumers—it’s a system designed to sell disposable plastic at any cost.
The best thing you can do?
🗣 Educate yourself and others.
🚫 Support real plastic alternatives.
👀 Call out corporate greenwashing.
Still reading? You’re a legend.
Now go forth and be slightly less plastic-covered than you were before.
Thoughts? Comments? Rants? Drop them below. Let’s start the conversation. 🚀🌱