Sasha Adkins 
From Disposable Culture to Disposable People 
The Unintended Consequences of Plastics

We cannot solve the problem of plastics simply by recycling more. The plastic in the oceans, the soil, and our bodies is a symptom of the broader problem of disposable culture. We are not just treating objects as disposable–we are treating ourselves and each other as disposable, too.

The story of plastics parallels the story of my life, from my childhood living aboard a sailboat to graduate work on plastics and endocrine disruption, and ultimately teaching about plastics, not only as a complex set of chemicals, but as a spiritual poison.

About the author

Sasha Adkins is a lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago.