We Must Prepare for the Looming Plexiglass Crisis
The global plastic crisis has led to a range of environmental and public health concerns that disproportionately impact chronically disenfranchised communities and exploited nations. From the growing number of microplastics that infiltrate our soil and hydrological cycle to the overwhelming presence of large plastic materials in wildlife habitats, the harmful effects of over-consumption and capitalist production are far-reaching and increasingly difficult to prevent and mitigate. Waste inequity — or the ways in which the compounded effects of waste-related public policy, city planning, and structural violence result in unjust harms, hazards, and suffering — further exacerbates these problems and as the threat of COVID-19 continues to change the way we interact with one another and handle our affairs, another serious threat demands our immediate attention: the Post-COVID Plexiglass Crisis.
While plexiglass is just another type of plastic, and trends related to the sudden surge in its usage could be thought of as belonging to the overarching plastic crisis, its unique relationship to COVID-19 must be explicitly addressed. Additionally, plexiglass is one of the most difficult types of plastic to safely and efficiently recycle so it’s important to highlight its unique presence in the plastics recycling market and landscape. Within the context of the global…
