BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 20, 2026
A major theme of Earth Day this year is the need to reduce plastic. According to California’s Stanford Medicine’s website, scientists estimate that humans consume a credit-card size of plastic a week. Most plastic is derived from fossil fuels. The major oil companies know that in order to sell plastic to consumers, they need to convince people that it can be recycled. Sadly, the National Geographic Society reports 91 percent of plastic cannot be recycled. In 2018, Saudi ARAMCO, the world’s largest oil company, announced plans to expand the manufacture of plastic. Other oil companies have since followed suit. Plastic fabrication must be reduced. This can be achieved by limiting the production of oil, and one of the best ways to accomplish that is with a carbon fee and dividend. ~ Kimberlee Hammond, Frankfort