If proper waste control measures were put in place at the Peak Period of production with Plastics, which most likely 50 to 60 years past, the cost of Plastic at the retail end, items offered will most likely have been comparable to a product produced from a Metal.
With nearly a Hundred Years of using Plastics, of which 80ish years, the usage being mainstream, and only a small proportion of this period is discovered as having a improved set of measures for waste management.
There is substantial exposure to this waste both airborne and waterborne.
There is not much that is to be for supporting life, that is not contaminated with it.
The Harm done as a result, to all life is becoming known, and the early findings are not too pleasant a read.
Plastic is a Human Condition and is one more that every Human has a duty of care, to find a way to undo the mess.
Most Items owned, that are produced from a plastic based material, are a luxury item, bought as a cheap alternative, which are in most cases seen as being disposable without concern.
Wake Up - There is Concern
Wake Up - This is a Human Engineered Threat to the Planets Life Support
Wake Up - There are better choices
As for Vinyl or a Vinyl Alternative, most users are collectors, not discarders, they don't make the originals anymore, which leaves earlier produced material an item of interest to be purchased and kept in use.
Vinyl has an extremely long user life, and is an exception to the norm.
A Vinyl Replay Ancillaries can also be quite Green, a Tonearm and Cartridge are Passive, a Tonearm can last a Lifetime and a Cart' can offer a Long usage if serviced when coming to the end of usage life.
A Phonostage can be a Battery Powered Device, and I am sure there are TT's to be found that can be run from Battery Power.
It is also quite interesting, the amount of individuals that take on Pre-Owned TT's across all era's of production and do not aspire to a Modern Day Production TT. This is almost similar to the attitude to the Vinyl LP.
In general across the board, by avoiding modern production, is reducing the mass energies used, mass use of water, and mass waste that is to be released.
When thought about the whole, the impact of waste looks beyond coming into a control where change will be seen in a lifetime.
As it does seem, it is waste that is the main culprit, a individual that adopts new ways that are mindful toward reducing waste and is selective in choosing their activities to be undertaken, that are not readily generating waste that can't be successfully managed, is making a turn for the better.