Film Production Waste
Movies have been around since the 1890s and are great sources of entertainment for all ages. They are also an amazing way to spread awareness of issues happening around the world as well, as they garner a large audience. However, the movie industry needs to limit its environmental impact.
Film Production Waste
Movies have been around since the 1890s and are great sources of entertainment for all ages. They occupy time, helping to provide amusement and pleasure for any mood or occasion. There are many genres of movies and the options are limitless. To make movies more convenient, they can be streamed from the comfort of your own home, or you can watch a new film in a traditional movie theater.
Movies can even bring awareness to major issues happening in the world by reaching a wide array of audiences. They can be created to inform and inspire change within a large audience. Movies are much bigger than just entertainment.
With the end of the writers’ and actors’ strike, filming has resumed to a normal level. Due to the mass production of so many new movies, the environment has been negatively impacted for decades by abandoned sets, the ignorant use of materials, and high carbon footprints. Fan favorite movies including Gone With the Wind, The Beach, Titanic, Singin’ in the Rain, and Avatar are infamous for carrying a large carbon footprint.
Film productions introduce additional waste into our atmosphere, and the harmful effects are leaving detrimental impacts on our planet.
Harms of Film Production
Fossil fuels are the main energy source used on film production sets to make movies possible. In addition, movies use fossil fuels for transportation, action shots, or light sources in their productions. Fossil fuels are the biggest contributor to climate change, and these films only add to the pre-existing problem. With the creation of more and more movies, the problem will keep getting worse.
Different scales of movie production vary in the amount of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. These numbers range on average between 431 and 3,715 tons. To put these alarming statistics into perspective, that is the equivalent of powering 656 homes for one year. These numbers are just for a single film alone. Over 500,000 movies have been created.
To add to the environmental harms in the film industry, the materials used on the sets of these films, including nails and cardboard, usually end up in landfills once production is over. Landfills are not environmentally friendly or sustainable, as these sites are responsible for the contamination of soil and groundwater, which can pollute and wither plants. According to NPR, “The average TV show or movie creates about 240 tons of waste.”
Movie Theater Waste
Not only does the process of movie-making lead to detrimental environmental waste, but movie theaters also contribute to climate change.
Most people who go to the movies typically buy candy, a container of popcorn, and a cup of soda to wash down the saltiness. Each container of popcorn, single-use plastic cup, and candy wrapper bought at a movie theater generates a large amount of waste. These items bought by customers end up in landfills and ultimately add to environmental pollution.
In addition, millions of pounds of popcorn is wasted at movie theaters every year. This adds to the problem of food waste that already exists.
A More Environmentally Friendly Industry
All of these negative impacts eventually add up to create a huge problem. Luckily, the film industry is becoming more environmentally friendly. For example, Hollywood is working to stop abandoning sets and props. They are trying to recycle and reuse old sets for new films, limiting the number of sets ending up in landfills. Also, if a film becomes very popular, movie industries may keep the sets as tourist attractions. Some of these movie studios include Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros.
The movie industry can also implement virtual production techniques, which create realistic backgrounds without the need for physical travel to the location. This will cut down on the amount of fossil fuels for transportation.
Recap
Movies have been around since the 1890s and are great sources of entertainment for all ages, as there are countless genres perfect for any occasion. While many people enjoy going to a traditional movie theater, you can always watch a movie from the comfort of your own couch. Movies are a great way to spread awareness of issues happening around the world as well, as they garner a large audience.
However, the movie industry needs to limit its environmental impact. Fossil fuels power many movies and make them possible, but fossil fuels are also a leading cause of climate change. In addition, many movie production companies often throw away parts of old sets into landfills, which leads to pollution that negatively impacts organisms. In movie theaters, food waste is frequent, as tons of popcorn is wasted each year. Adding to the problem, popcorn containers, soda cups, and candy wrappers also all end up in landfills. Because of this environmental waste, the movie industry is trying to cut down on the amount of waste in landfills. They have adapted recycling and reusing in an attempt to be more eco-friendly.