Maya Ellison
Plastic is cheap to produce due to its low production and raw material costs. The price of the raw material is low because it is a waste product of the petroleum industry. The low cost of plastic has led to its widespread use, with plastic becoming the go-to material for cheap, lightweight packaging. However, the durability and versatility of plastic mean that it persists in the environment for hundreds of years, leading to significant environmental, health, and economic costs. The cost of recycling plastic is also high, making it more economically attractive to produce new plastic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Price of raw material | Cheap |
| Energy input | Low |
| Production cost | Low |
| Raw material cost | Low |
| Time taken to make parts | Quick |
| Cost of recycling | High |
| Durability | High |
| Versatility | High |
| Environmental impact | Negative |
| Health impact | Negative |
| Economic impact | Negative |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic's raw material costs are low
Plastic is widely known for its low production and raw material costs. The cost of producing plastic is largely determined by the energy input required for its creation, which is relatively low. For instance, the production of steel requires extremely high temperatures of around 1800°C, whereas plastic is produced at temperatures below 500°C. Additionally, the raw materials used for plastic, such as polythene, are often waste products from the petroleum industry, making them inexpensive.
The low cost of plastic has made it the go-to packaging material worldwide. Plastic's durability, versatility, and lightweight nature make it ideal for protecting products during transportation and storage. Its durability also means that it can persist in ecosystems for hundreds to thousands of years, leading to significant environmental concerns.
The low cost of creating new plastic products compared to recycling old ones is another critical factor in the widespread use of plastic. Recycling plastic can be labor-intensive and expensive due to the need for sorting and separating different types of plastic. Additionally, the functionality of recycled plastic may be inferior, leading to consumer hesitancy.
While plastic provides individual savings, there are collective costs to the planet, people, animals, and the economy. The environmental impact of plastic pollution is well-known, with natural spaces, rivers, and oceans inundated with plastic waste. The clean-up efforts required to address this pollution incur substantial costs. Furthermore, the health and economic repercussions of plastic pollution are significant, impacting industries such as tourism, fishing, and businesses' brand reputations.
Despite the efforts of some countries to subsidize recycling technologies, the underpricing of petroleum and its external costs make recycling less economically attractive than producing new plastic. This further perpetuates the cycle of plastic pollution and its associated costs.
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Plastic is quick to produce
Another factor contributing to the quick production of plastic is injection moulding. While making the mould for an injection moulding machine can be costly, once the mould is ready, thousands of plastic parts can be produced very rapidly—often in under a minute per part. This process is significantly faster than manufacturing with other materials like wood or metal, which often involve multiple steps and complex machining.
The low cost and quick production of plastic have made it the go-to material for lightweight packaging that protects products during transportation and storage. Plastic's durability and versatility have contributed to its widespread adoption, as it can be moulded into various shapes and sizes to meet diverse packaging needs. However, these same attributes have also led to a wasteful, disposable mentality, resulting in a staggering amount of plastic waste accumulating in landfills and natural environments.
While recycling plastic can address the issue of waste, it is often more expensive and less economically attractive than producing new plastic. Sorting and separating recyclable materials is labour-intensive, and the functionality of recycled plastic may not always meet the required standards. Nevertheless, some countries have subsidised efforts to recycle plastic at the molecular level to create perfectly clean products, recognising the environmental and economic costs of plastic waste.
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Plastic is durable and versatile
Plastic is a highly durable and versatile material, with a range of properties that have led to its widespread use across the world. Its durability is due to its chemical structure, which makes it resistant to many natural degradation processes. This means that plastic products can have a very long life, which is beneficial for some applications, but it also means that plastic waste can persist in the environment for a long time, causing widespread environmental concerns.
The versatility of plastics is due to their adaptability and plasticity, which allow them to be moulded, extruded, or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This means that plastic products can be designed to be highly application-specific, which is particularly useful for products such as medical devices, construction materials, appliances, furniture, and packaging. The lightweight nature of plastics also makes them ideal for use in vehicles, where they can increase fuel efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
The durability and versatility of plastics are closely linked to their production cost. The ability to quickly and cheaply create plastic parts in a wide variety of shapes means that the production of plastic items often involves far fewer steps than the production of equivalent items from other materials, such as wood or metal. In addition, the feedstock for plastic production is very cheap, as it is derived from the waste products of the petroleum industry. This low cost of production, combined with the durability and versatility of the material, makes plastic a very economically attractive option for manufacturers.
However, the low cost and high durability of plastic products can also contribute to environmental issues. The low cost of producing new plastic items means that it is often cheaper for manufacturers to produce new plastic products than to recycle old ones, even though the technology exists to recycle plastic at the molecular level to make a perfectly clean product. As a result, the majority of plastic produced is not reused, and much of it ends up in landfills or as plastic pollution.
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Plastic is cheaper than other materials
Plastic is cheaper to produce than other materials. This is due to a variety of factors, including the price of raw materials, the energy input required for production, and the ease and speed of manufacturing.
The cost of producing plastic is largely determined by the price of its feedstock. Most plastics are made from petrochemicals, specifically oil and natural gas, which are inexpensive and easy to extract. In contrast, the production of other materials, such as steel, relies on recycled feedstock, which is more costly. Additionally, plastic manufacturing requires less energy input than other materials. For example, steel production involves furnaces heated to extremely high temperatures of 1800°C, whereas plastic can be produced at temperatures below 500°C.
Another advantage of plastic production is the ability to quickly and cheaply create custom-shaped parts through injection molding. Although creating the mold for an injection molding machine is expensive, it can then produce thousands of identical parts very quickly, typically within one to two minutes per part. In comparison, manufacturing parts from wood or metal often involves multiple steps and complex machining processes, resulting in higher costs and longer production times.
The affordability of plastic has led to its widespread use in various industries, from packaging to toy manufacturing. However, this has also contributed to the growing problem of plastic pollution. While sustainable materials may offer benefits such as stronger brand equity and improved user experiences, they often come at a higher upfront cost. This cost differential has created a dilemma for companies, weighing economic benefits against the environmental impact of plastic pollution.
To address the issue of plastic pollution, efforts are being made to increase the adoption of sustainable materials and improve recycling technologies. For instance, properly pricing energy could incentivize the recycling of plastic waste, reducing the environmental costs associated with plastic production and pollution.
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Plastic recycling is expensive
Plastic is cheap to create because the raw materials, such as polythene, are waste products from the petroleum industry. Plastic is also quick and cheap to mould into any desired shape. In contrast, plastic recycling is expensive due to the high cost of recycling and the low market value of the resulting recycled material. The high cost of recycling is influenced by factors such as the labour-intensive process of sorting and separating the plastic, the cost of energy, and the use of single-stream recycling, which often results in contamination and requires additional sorting. The low market value of recycled plastic is due to the limited number of times plastic can be recycled before it degrades in quality and can no longer be used.
The cost of recycling plastic is further impacted by the fees charged by recycling organisations, such as the designated producer responsibility organisation (PRO) in Japan, which can amount to millions of dollars. Additionally, mechanical recycling and consecutive contracts with the same recyclers tend to increase contract prices. Transport distances between storage and recycling facilities also play a role in the overall cost of recycling.
Despite the high cost of recycling plastic, there is a growing demand for recycled plastic as companies seek to reduce their use of virgin materials and improve their sustainability practices. This increased demand has the potential to positively impact the price of scrap plastic in the future, making plastic recycling more cost-effective.
While recycling plastic is currently expensive, it is important to consider the environmental and social benefits it brings. Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, and it creates jobs and contributes to economic growth. As new technologies and infrastructure are developed, the price of recycling plastic is likely to decrease, making it even more cost-effective in the future.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic is cheap because the raw materials used to make it are inexpensive. The feedstock for plastic is a waste product of the petroleum industry.
Recycling plastic is labour-intensive and expensive. Different types of plastic often require different recycling processes, and some cannot be economically recycled at all.
The cost of plastic and steel are both largely determined by the energy input required to make them. Plastic is made at less than 500°C with steam, whereas steel is made in 1800°C furnaces that need to be regularly relined.
Plastic's low cost has led to a wasteful, disposable mentality. Its durability and versatility mean it lingers for centuries as plastic waste, causing a catastrophic environmental, health, and economic impact.
