> Which isn't that bad. The oil came from under ground. Stick it back there and its not too bad.

I’m curious what you based this on?

Did you fall victim to ultracrepidarianism / the fallacy of transferable expertise [1]?

” The millions of tons of plastic swirling around the world’s oceans have garnered a lot of media attention recently. But plastic pollution arguably poses a bigger threat to the plants and animals – including humans – who are based on land.

Very little of the plastic we discard every day is recycled or incinerated in waste-to-energy facilities. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water.

Researchers in Germany are warning that the impact of microplastics in soils, sediments and freshwater could have a long-term negative effect on such ecosystems. They say terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution – estimated at four to 23 times higher, depending on the environment.” [2]

[1] https://twitter.com/bjorn/status/953778121764831232

[2] https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-planet-h...

Sticking something back into the ground in a safe way is non-trivial. That is to say, expensive - more expensive than waste-management companies in developing countries care to pay. Among other things, you need to make sure it won't be broken down by UV radiation from the Sun, weathered by wind and washed into the rivers, and that nothing leaks out and reaches the water table.