Are we heading for a Mount Plastic?
"Climate change is not caused by the consumer, but by the fossil elite" states artist Jonas Staal in the explanatory video accompanying his exhibition "Redistribute Extinction. Staal calls for the collective disempowerment of this elite; exactly what Plastic Soup Foundation is working for every day [1].
Anyone walking through the harbor district in Deventer probably does not expect to find a mountain of plastic waste hiding behind the walls of the Kunstenlab [2]. A mountain that is daily business for waste processors, but completely hidden from view by the consumer who neatly throws his plastic waste in the PMD bag. By filling a room with 180m2 of unrecyclable plastic, Staal makes the plastic surplus not only visible, but also tangible. Even for those who do not immediately see the need for change.
How did it come to this?
When the world's largest oil company, ExxonMobil, discovered in the 1970s how polluting plastic really is, it did not seek a solution. Instead, it developed a strategy to make the general public believe in the power of recycling. And despite warnings that plastic recycling is too expensive, complicated and ineffective, recycling was then massively and globally promoted; all to justify their profitable but polluting plastic industry.
Is the consumer to blame, though?
Today, consumers are urged to buy less plastic, avoid airplanes and bring in meat substitutes. While the big problem continues to be perpetuated by ExxonMobil and its competitors. Companies whose executives, according to Staal, enjoy themselves undisturbed on their mega-yachts financed by their fossil fuel industry bonuses.
What can we do about it?
In order to prevent further pollution, we need to eliminate what is threatening us and our ecosystem with extinction: the plastic industry. Because if we continue at this rate, we will soon really have Mount Plastic in our midst. The earth and everything living cannot recycle this tsunami of plastic waste. There is only one solution and that is -first of all- to radically stop the overproduction of disposable plastic.
Otherwise the plastic waste mountain will soon be so high that it will be impossible to climb.
At Plastic Soup Foundation, we also believe in the power of the collective. We run awareness campaigns about the dangers of plastic, offer teaching packages for education and advise companies and governments in developing new policies. Do you also want to contribute to a plastic-free future? Then support us with a small donation or sign our petition for a global plastic treaty .
Rynaldo Koerhuis (1995) advises, sells and writes. For Plastic Soup Foundation, he writes a blog twice a month on a current topic.
[1] At Plastic Soup Foundation, the focus is not on recycling or cleanups, but on informing the general public, translating complex reports into understandable language and making structural impact. That's what our manifesto says, and that's how we continue to work.
[2] Want to know more about Jonas Staal's exhibition? Then check out the website of Kunstenlab or visit the exhibition in Deventer (part of the IJsselbiennale and free to visit until September 21, 2025).
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