| Complacency is not recommended for the U.S. | | | | the majority of plastic resins manufactured by |
| consumer this winter according to forecasters | | | | U.S. factories are located along the Gulf Coast. |
| who say that a wide range of products from | | | | Initially, the factories were shut down during the |
| food to auto parts will see rises in retail prices. | | | | storms. Secondly, the factories require natural gas |
| While food prices have risen over the past | | | | to generate the power needed to run the plastics |
| decade, the impending costs will be different, as | | | | factories. And thirdly, due to the short supplies of |
| they are expected to be the largest at one time | | | | the raw materials or resins used in the |
| over the past several years and not only due to | | | | manufacture of plastic, the three most common |
| the cost of delivering goods but because of the | | | | types have increased in price between 20 and 30 |
| overnight escalation of the cost of producing | | | | per cent to date since August 2005, with another |
| plastic.And not dissimilar to the blame game which | | | | projected 8 per cent increase by the end of |
| was played from Louisiana to Washington, D.C. in | | | | November 2005, according to Plastics News, a |
| the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we now see | | | | trade publication.Dow Chemical Co., for example, |
| the corporate sector using Katrina to advantage | | | | which runs a plastics factory outside of New |
| as well. First, we had the oil companies blaming | | | | Orleans, LA in Hahnville, LA, was forced to cancel |
| the price of gas at the pump on the price of a | | | | 1,000 contracts after Hurricane Katrina, including |
| barrel of oil, then blaming Katrina for the | | | | those with Rubbermaid, Inc. and the Clorox |
| shutdown of refinery operations and then on the | | | | Company. That then translates into myriad |
| lack of refineries in order process the imported oil | | | | products consumed by the average American on |
| the U.S. was receiving from Europe, as a result of | | | | a daily basis in which plastic is either a component |
| the shutdowns from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. | | | | of its manufacture or plastic containers or |
| The U.S. Congress is still in the initial stages of | | | | wrappings which contain another product such as |
| investigating how much of that is palpable.But | | | | food items or dry goods. For instance, the price |
| following the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. | | | | of a gallon of milk has risen approximately 15 |
| consumers will also experience sticker shock | | | | cents since Hurricane Katrina because of the |
| beyond the pumps and their monthly heating bills. | | | | plastic bottles in which it is distributed. |
| Unbeknownst to the average consumer is that | | | | |