I enjoyed reading Susan Freinkel’s new book, PLASTIC A Toxic Love Story. It’s a comprehensive and compelling tale about the marriage of human ingenuity and science, and their enduring impact on society.

Weaving together facts, figures and first-hand interviews with inventors and major industry players, Freinkel’s illuminating work begins with a reference to an aptly named piece of history called, Plasticville and tracks our epic, real-life love/hate relationship with this ubiquitous stuff that’s become an essential part of our lives.

We had the opportunity to ask the author a few questions, here goes:

Susan, could you comment on the state of America’s love affair with plastic today?
Plastic remains the material we love to hate, but can’t live without. Though plastics production dipped some with the economic crash in 2008, it is starting to rebound, and we are still consuming close to 300 pounds a year. However, I also think there is growing public awareness that our love affair is not sustainable, and that we have to make change in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastics if we want to continue to reap their benefits.

After researching bio-based alternatives, which do you think has the best shot at becoming a viable alternative?
NatureWorks corn-based plastic , Ingeo, is the one you see the most of. It’s in thousands of products by now — from t-shirts to packaging to cell phones – and I believe the company has expanded production to Taiwan, as well. But it’s going to get competition from plant-based plastics that are molecularly the same as ones made of fossil-fuels, like the sugar cane based PET which Coke and Pepsi are/will be using in their beverage bottles.

The advantages of these alternatives is they are really compatible with existing production processes and recycling streams. I am hoping eventually we see commercial-scale production of bioplastics that are now being developed from non-food crops and waste products such as switchgrass, corn stover, chicken feathers, CO2 or even sewage. I think these could be some of the most economically and environmentally sustainable plastics of all.

Do you feel companies should be held accountable/responsible for disposing of or managing the after-life of its plastic products? Should there be a federal mandate to curb the production of conventionally-produced disposable/one-use products (ie water & beverage plastic bottles)?
I am a complete supporter of the concept of extended producer responsibility. As the European example has shown, when you have laws requiring companies to be responsible for managing the end-life of their products, you get less packaging, and packaging and products that are more recyclable, and the overall recycling rates go up. I can’t speak to whether or not there should be a federal mandate, but given the kind of mostly-losing battles people have fought at local and state levels, I suspect it’s less politically feasible than producer-responsibility legislation.

Do you have any thoughts on how to successfully set-up and pass/enact a national bottle bill?
I’d love to see one pass, but I’m no strategist. It’s disheartening to see how the bottle bill movement has stalled out at even the state level.

Thanks, Susan. We’ll be continuing to discourage the thoughtless consumption and disposal of plastic, and recommend your book to our readers …

I thought I’d pass along how one may receive a free copy of this book, as well as a bundle of other useful items, in a plastic-free prize pack. Simply enter the Earth Day Giveaway sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, (contest ends April 25). Otherwise, pick up a copy at your local bookstore, library or amazon.