There can be no doubt that we have fallen completely out of love with plastics. UK environment secretary Michael Gove’s war on plastics and the EU’s recent announcement that it will make all plastics produced in the bloc recyclable by 2030 have made that official. Emotive images of distressed sea life and of disgusting plastic debris washed up on our shores are beamed daily into our living rooms. Combined with vociferous campaigns in the media about the evils of plastic coffee cups, straws and packaging, they have helped to reinforce our firm belief that plastics are enemy number one where the environment is concerned. And, of course, they are.
毫无疑问，我们已经完全失去了对塑料的好感。英国环境大臣迈克尔•戈夫(Michael Gove)对塑料制品宣战，以及欧盟最近宣布到2030年联盟境内生产的所有塑料制品都必须可回收，使这种情绪成为官方立场。我们在起居室里天天看到触目惊心的画面：海洋生物被塑料制品坑害，以及令人作呕的塑料垃圾被冲上海岸。加上媒体大肆宣传塑料咖啡杯、吸管和包装的种种危害，这些都强化了我们的坚定信念：塑料制品已成为环境的头号敌人。当然，它们是。