In the first few dark months of the pandemic, I watched in horror as Big Oil initiated their disaster capitalism marketing machine – working to position single-use plastic as safer than reusables. “As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the country, single-use plastics will only become more vital,” wrote Plastics Industry Association president and CEO Tony Radoszewski in March. “We live longer, healthier, and better because of single-use plastics.” I fumed as I read those short-sighted words. Big Oil has been both greenwashing and health-washing for decades, positioning themselves as the source from which all clean, convenient modern living derives. But we know better now, that outside of medical utilizations, single-use plastic production and disposal creates many negative impacts to human, animal and environmental health.
At no point during the production of single-use packaging does it undergo a sanitization process. Alternatively, GO Box reusable containers and cups are subject to a multi-step, FDA Food Code mandated washing and sanitizing process. As the June health expert statement confirms, “single-use plastic is not inherently safer than reusables, and causes additional public health concerns once it is discarded.”