Don’t worry about these big guys. The straws are gonna save the planet.

You could always not buy their completely non essential products, but suggesting that rarely gets a good reception from the “obsessively whining about straws” crows.

That's what's always a bit maddening about these conversations. It's not like companies are just shredding plastic into the atmosphere because they're cartoon villains who love evil.

They're making cheap plastic shit because we love cheap plastic shit. They're making this stuff in response to explicit consumer prioritization of low costs above all other factors. If consumers broadly demanded soda in glass bottles and expressed a willingness to pay the extra cost that this entails, every soda company would use glass.

I'm not saying that you individually should be blamed for all environmental pollution, but we have to realize that companies are responding to the exact same incentives that we do. They're obviously operating at a much larger scale, but they use cheap plastic shit for the exact same reason we do. If you're looking for policy solutions, a great option would be to introduce an externality tax on plastic so that this environmental cost is actually factored into the production and end price and can fund remediate the damage, similar to carbon taxes. Of course though, the moment you say the word 'tax' people's brains completely shut off, so this is probably a non-starter.

They’re making cheap plastic shit because we love cheap plastic shit

No. They’re making cheap plastic shit because their constant lobbying against common sense regulation and a living wage means that the cheap plastic shit is all most of us can afford.

explicit consumer prioritization of low costs above all other factors

Also known as a consumer prioritization of being able to survive without being TOO crushed by debt. You’re really slathering the victim blaming on thick.

If consumers broadly demanded soda in glass bottles and expressed a willingness to pay the extra cost that this entails, every soda company would use glass

Bullshit. You have the power relationship backwards. The vast majority of humanity can’t afford high quality sustainable packaging because the premium companies demand for it is ridiculous. Because they know they can as long as useful fools blame the consumers.

I’m not saying that you individually should be blamed for all environmental pollution

Sounds awfully close to just that, though.

we have to realize that companies are responding to the exact same incentives that we do.

They absolutely are not. A company has the option to make the packaging better at the same price in exchange for a couple cents less profit per bottle. A customer, who already doesn’t have the vast resources with which to choose that a company has, would have to pay several times that, often several dollars, extra to get the “premium” glass bottle.

They’re obviously operating at a much larger scale

That’s like saying that the Sultan of Brunei’s palace is obviously much larger than my apartment: while technically true, the difference of scale is so vast that any direct comparison is effectively meaningless.

they use cheap plastic shit for the exact same reason we do.

Nope. They produce cheap plastic shit to maximize profits because they’re allowed to. We buy cheap plastic shit to minimize costs because we have to. Those are not the same reason.

If you’re looking for policy solutions

Yes! This better be good…

a great option would be to introduce an externality tax on plastic so that this environmental cost is actually factored into the production and end price

Companies would just pass the cost on to consumers as always. If you do that AND price control, then we have something!

similar to carbon taxes

Another example of something that’s a great idea in theory but end up not working as intended because it’s too easy for big companies to avoid the intended consequences. Carbon taxes with no transferrable carbon credits and the aforementioned price control could work, though.

the moment you say the word ‘tax’ people’s brains completely shut off,

Taxes work. You just need additional mechanisms too, to prevent the kind of fuckery companies get up to.

In no universe is coca cola “all you can afford”. You could replace it with tap water and be better off I’m every way.

Yeah because there’s nothing physically, mentally and even socially addictive about the number one brand in the world, packed with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and/or questionable sweeteners 🙄

Next you’re gonna share the brilliant insight that it’s cheaper to not smoke tobacco…

Are you suggesting people should not be encouraged to quit smoking?

No, I’m saying that it’s not that simple to just forgo something addictive.

I’m an ex smoker (and ex drinker) myself, so while I would never recommend smoking (or drinking to excess), I have very little patience for people assuming or implying that addictions are easily kicked.

That shit can control significant parts of your whole life, sometimes in subtle ways you weren’t even aware of.

So, you agree people should not start drinking Coca Cola, and for their own health and finances they should make every effort to stop drinking Coca Cola.