system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What makes plastic so cheap and easy to produce as opposed to any other material?
gpt
Polyethylene, polystyrene, and most plastics are made from leftovers after fuel is produced from oil. Plastics are effectively subsidized by gas sales, and are effectively a waste stream. 

One of the interesting consequences of moving towards renewable energy will be higher plastic prices. It will be interesting watching this play out.