Mobile people and plastics – How Disney addresses plastic waste at its theme parks

Abstract

Tourism is one example of the proliferation of networks and infrastructures established to support the mass mobilisation of people and objects across boundaries. This movement, along with the activities undertaken, material interactions, and waste generated, all contribute to the environmental impact of travel. This paper focuses on the role of plastics in theme parks owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company (Disney) in Europe and America, and the actions taken by Disney to reduce plastic waste. Plastics have gone from relative obscurity to ubiquity in the last 70 years. Plastic waste does not heed political boundaries as it makes its way into our waterways and bodies. Disney is a multinational company with theme parks in five countries and a plethora of entertainment companies, all of which rely on a relationship with plastic. It also has considerable capacity to influence individual and corporate behaviour. Disney has committed to a goal of zero waste to landfill and a reduction in single-use plastics in the wholly owned and operated theme parks and resorts by 2030. Disney provides a valuable case study to examine the use of plastics and the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by a multinational company, working across boundaries and servicing a highly transient population. Drawing on findings from fieldwork in Paris and Orlando, this paper makes comparisons between the policies and actions taken by the government and Disney in each location and considers the wider implications of this for tourism and waste management.