I have a friend whose mother saved every plastic thing she came into contact with. She was born and raised in the Philippines. He said it took a lot of deprogramming to get her to put the perfectly useful containers in the recycle bin.<p>When I was in Central America, the place i stayed at used plastic cups, plates, forks, and knives. All PET, all reused to hell and back. I miss that place very much, so I keep some plastic kitchenware about for nostalgia&#x27;s sake. If ever people come over to eat, they avoid using them.<p>I get it that the plastic bottle is the best meme for waste, poorly planned production, and&#x2F;or the callous indifference of advanced societies. But I pick up a lot of litter in my everyday, and every time I toss a bottle in the bin, I feel like I am throwing away one of humankind&#x27;s greatest inventions. Tiny nurdles melted and stretched into useful shales that could last for generations! Feather light; strong and flexible. What an amazing thing to just throw on the ground while you head off to be a cog in some clunky corporate machine built in the image of steam technology.<p>Hate on the bottle if you must; I&#x27;m just going to use the little guys for whatever they are useful for.<p>Edit: grammar