Giving Compass' Take:

• Lloyd Alter exposes how the plastics industry as taking advantage of pandemic hygiene concerns to repopulate stores with single-use plastics.

• Why is it important to combat the efforts of the plastics industry? How can we remain committed to conservation throughout the coronavirus? 

• Find resources to fight the coronavirus so we can stand up against the plastics industry.

It seems like forever ago when Katherine Martinko wrote Don't let this pandemic ruin the fight against single-use plastics, noting that "The plastics industry is taking advantage of the current crisis to warn people against reusable bags and containers, saying they're potential vectors for contamination and that disposables are a safer option."

It turns out that she was right to worry; polystyrene sales volumes have increased by double digits. According to Andrew Marc Noel of Bloomberg, "a renewed commitment to hygiene is propping up sales of previously out-of-favor plastics like polystyrene, as consumers relegate environmental priorities while trying to stay clear of the coronavirus." Apparently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared the making of some single-use materials as “essential critical infrastructure.”

There is the unavoidable increase in the use of plastics for disposable medical protective gear, but also a dramatic increase in the consumption of single-use plastics. Meanwhile, states are rolling back bans on single-use plastic bags, (New Hampshire actually banned reusable bags) and the big companies are talking up the benefits.

We should never forget that plastic is essentially a solid fossil fuel and that its manufacture releases six kilograms of CO2 for every kilogram of plastic made. Katherine noted also that "The entire lifecycle of plastic is dangerous — from its extraction to its disposal." And the desperate oil industry will be doing everything they can to make more of the stuff.

Read the full article about the plastics industry by Lloyd Alter at TreeHugger.