On the day I had planned a classroom debate on plastics, I found myself following a car with a bumper sticker that read “Ban Plastics.” As the car pulled onto campus, I decided to follow and invite the occupant to join the debate.

When I reached the car, a student had just gotten out. She was wearing a polyester parka. In her left hand was a plastic coffee mug and in her right was her cell phone.

I got her attention from a respectful distance, but she turned down my invitation. I asked her if she knew that the typical car contains about 400 pounds of plastic. She didn’t, so I didn’t comment on the plush toy cat attached to the rear window with plastic suction cups.

I did add that the bumper sticker was probably made from plastic. “Yes,” she said, “but you have to start somewhere.”

My class debates required students to examine both sides. Yes, plastics have negatives: Some are made from harsh chemicals, many are petroleum products, some are difficult to recycle or reuse (say wind turbine blades or solar........

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