There are many things I like about the USA. Its national park system is perhaps my absolute favourite thing. But the USA is also facing many problems right now, one of which is – along with the rest of the world – the climate crisis. And the USA’s contribution to it via its plastic waste is impossible to overlook. Here’s my British perspective on plastic waste in the USA.
Disposable cutlery at hotels
Several times, I’ve stayed at a hotel or hostel in the USA which includes breakfast, and found that I was expected to use plastic cutlery, Styrofoam cups and paper plates and bowls.
The use of plastic cutlery in hotels is not unique to the USA. But the USA is the only developed country where I’ve experienced this. I’ve certainly never seen it in a hotel in the UK.
Not only does it look cheap, but it’s also obvious that these hotels are prioritising convenience – theirs and yours – above everything else. How convenient that you can just throw the remains of your own breakfast, plate and all, into the bin! The hotel doesn’t even have to employ anyone to wash up! All so convenient!
The environmental impact of this is a distant afterthought, with presumably little to no reputational impact on that hotel or hostel given how normalised this is.
As an aside, I found it the height of irony that Americans call cutlery “silverware”. So I was technically using plastic silverware to eat my hotel breakfast. Make it make sense.
Disposable coffee cups
Secondly, as the USA is a coffee-drinking nation, let’s talk about disposable coffee cups.
In London where I live, based on my workday coffee runs I’d say that a fair proportion of people use reusable coffee cups. Not everyone, but it’s certainly very common. My company even gives all new employees a branded keep-cup.
I tend to assume that life in London is relatively similar to life in a major city in the USA so I always find it jarring so see so many people using disposable cups in American cities. In fact, single-use coffee cups seem to be so much the norm that it’s almost a fashion statement in some cities to walk around with your Blank Street Coffee cup. It’s the lack of recognition of the problem, and lack of effort to make a change, that surprises and disappoints me.
Where does all the plastic go?
Most plastic – especially plastic cutlery and coffee cups – is non-recyclable. In American hotels which use plastic cutlery, I certainly haven’t seen any recycling facilities. Guests are asked just to throw it away. I have to assume, therefore, that all of this plastic goes to landfill.
Why is the USA so reliant on plastic?
Every time I visit the USA, I wonder why it’s still so reliant on plastic and, by extension, why the environment always seems to take a back seat. My conclusion is that there are two reasons, both baked into American culture: a culture of convenience and a culture of visible excess and conspicuous consumption.
Let’s look at convenience first. Yes, you can chuck your plate and cup in the bin at the end of your hotel breakfast – no one has to take the time to clear it away. You can throw away your coffee cup once you’ve drunk it – no washing up. Disposable items facilitate speed and convenience. And this convenience seems to be regarded universally as a good thing in the USA without a second thought for the plastic waste.
As for my observation about visible excess, my theory on this is that it’s a product of the American Dream where the ultimate goal is to be wealthier than the previous generation. This originally brought about a habit of conspicuous consumption, showing that you had so much of something that you could throw some away. As a visual representation of wealth for second-generation immigrants a century ago, great. But that’s in the past now. It’s time to think about getting out of that mindset and reducing waste. This is the twenty-first century and the climate crisis is more important than an outdated habit of showcasing your wealth.
Easy changes
I don’t want to suggest that the entire responsibility for reducing plastic waste in the USA (or in fact around the world) lies with the individual. Big corporations are causing massive problems by (in some cases wilfully) failing to adapt to reduce waste. Changes made at a corporate or governmental level will have more impact than the efforts of the individual.
However, that is not to say that individuals have no responsibility. I find it very frustrating seeing how preventable a lot of the plastic waste in the USA is. Think how many plastic forks and plates are thrown away in hotels around the USA every day, instead of the hotel employing someone for a few hours each morning to clear away plates and put them in the dishwasher. Think how many thousands of coffee cups and plastic bags are disposed of, when people could just carry a keep-cup and a tote bag. These are massively low-effort changes which make a significant cumulative difference over even a week or two.
I’m not suggesting that these things are going to magically reduce plastic overuse on their own. But if it’s that easy to make small changes, surely that’s better than doing nothing. The less plastic we use, the less plastic needs to be produced, and that can only be a good thing.
Britain
I don’t want to give the impression that Britain is angelic when it comes to reducing plastic waste. It’s obviously not.
But when I travelled the world for six months, including to the USA, it made me realise that Britain is further ahead of most nations when it comes to environmental considerations and in particular plastic use. Supermarkets charge for plastic bags so most people bring their own. Keep-cups are standard and you get a discount on your coffee if you use one. All hotels I’ve stayed at in the UK use ceramic plates and metal cutlery. Straws in restaurants are nearly always optional. It really isn’t difficult to make these small changes, and they really do add up.
We are all responsible
A country as rich in resources as the USA should be leading the way in addressing the climate crisis. As matters stand, it’s evidently not a priority at either individual or government level, and in my view that’s a massive waste.
We all have to do our part. Most of the plastic waste I’ve described in this article is completely avoidable. Plastic waste in the USA is at crisis level, purely because the USA has a culture which prioritises convenience and conspicuous consumption above all else.
If we want to save the planet, we all have to do a little bit extra. The USA has some of the most beautiful nature in the world, and it’s absolutely worth preserving. So buy that keep-cup or tote bag, and think of the planet. Thank you America.