The disconnect between plastic trash and humans has been too prevalent for far too long. It is mind-blowing how much we use it, and yet many know so little about it. It has reached the extent where we do not even know where our trash goes, whether it is sorted and recycled, or simply dumped into towering mounds in landfills. And as important as these innovations and solutions to our persistent waste are, it is not nearly enough to make one switch from one straw to another. What we need is a real change, a change in our mindsets and lifestyles as we see the ever-pressing urgency of our fight against single-use trash. We just need to start with changing the way we view plastic. The disconnect between plastic trash and humans has been too prevalent for far too long. It’s funny how much we use it, and yet many know so little about it. It has reached the extent where we don’t even know where our trash goes, whether it’s sorted and recycled, or simply dumped into towering mounds in landfills. And as important as these innovations and solutions to our persistent waste are, it isn’t nearly enough to make one switch from one straw to another. What we need is a real change, a change in our mindsets and lifestyles as we see the ever-pressing urgency of our fight against single-use trash. We just need to start with changing the way we view plastic. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx