Is Mr. McGuire responsible for a world pollution problem? 

  You may not remember Mr. McGuire off the top of your head but you will remember the one word he said to Dustin Hoffman in the film “The Graduate”: “Plastics!”

  Ben Braddock (Hoffman’s character) didn’t give it much thought … but the rest of the world did.

    At that time, 1967, the world production of plastics was about 1.5 million tons each year. Last year that number reached 322 million tons, totaling 9 billion tons since 1950. And only 10% can be recycled. China produces 59.8 million tons of plastic waste per year and the U.S. is second  with 37.83. Most of this waste finds its way into our oceans.

  Our world cannot exist without plastics. There are plastics you see and some you do not. Some you may not see are essential in the computer, medical and space industries. The ones you do see are everywhere in food and consumer products stores. 

   Our world cannot function without plastics but our environment cannot function with them. We need to accept the responsibility for plastic convenience by dealing with the waste. Recycling the 10% we can recycle and grind up and bury what we cannot in remote landfills. It is not biodegradable but it will do less harm than floating in our oceans.

  I doubt there will ever be a remake of “The Graduate” but if there is let’s hope the one word Mr. McGuire says Is “Recycle!”