Could Single-Use Plastics Help Prevent a Pandemic?

摘要

As stock markets around the world continue to slide into negative territory because of fears related to the rapid spread ofthe coronavirus, I began thinking about the role that single-use plastics play in preserving the health of major populations.One of the most beneficial aspects of single-use plastics is their disposability along with the germs they might carry afterbeing used by someone infected with a disease.That idea continued in my mind as I read an article in the Feb. 25, 2020, edition of the Wall Street Journal. In “Where’s MyCup? Offices Find It’s Not Easy Going Green,” Te-Ping Chen explores what happens in the offices of large companies thathave gotten rid of disposable plastic products, especially drinking cups. It seems that without plastic drinking cups at watercoolers, people are having a hard time finding a receptacle for their beverage. The article told of one woman who had justgotten out of a two-hour meeting and had to go immediately into another one and couldn’t find a drinking cup because hercompany, an ad agency owned by Deloitte, “had removed all disposable items from office kitchenettes, including cups.”