>Furthermore, companies that produce these products are simply providing for demand. It’s silly to lay the blame at their feet when they’ve no incentive to stop.

you're not thinking systemically enough - the incentive system is also a choice

there's a reason big oil were the original champions of plastics recycling as a marketable non-solution that focuses on individual/peer consumer habits over anything that would challenge their position. this neoliberal approach ultimately ensures their power remains.

these replies are saying to take the solutions available to us individually, but you're promoting individual actor conscientiousness over organizing to effect systemic change at scale. I'm not saying only corps/govs have the power to fix this, I'm saying that by taking an individualist consumer solution perspective, we let corps/govs off their leash because individuals can't stand up to their level of organized power.

I cede your point on plastics and powerful corporate organization. But waving a magic wand and regulating away oil and plastics (amongst others) is your solution? Don’t you think end-users have a role in this?

i think it's marginal at best and that "end-users" need to organize to make sweeping structural changes rather than only looking out for their own personal impact (or scolding their neighbors/family over it) as the powers that be would prefer us to. regulations are also not the only option and represent a narrow political perspective.