Is plastic the main problem or what we choose to do with it?

Plastic pollution is not a recent phenomenon; it has been there for many years. Based on various types and sizes, plastics have been polluting the wildlife habitats, environment and human population since it was invented more than hundred years ago. Until recently, we have realised that the pollution crisis have reached to pandemic proportions. BBC series ‘Blue Planet II’ presented by the famous natural history presenter David Attenborough, who eloquently explained and showed some of the shocking images how plastic waste are polluting our oceans. It is estimated that eight million metric tons of plastics end up in our oceans each year. Furthermore another estimated 150 million metric tons currently circulating our oceans. According to research by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish. Plastics are basically everywhere from shopping bags to packaging materials, rigid plastics, foams, nylons, cigarette filter tips, synthetic fibres in clothing and even in the cosmetics as micro-beads. A single shower could result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean. We are living in a plastic world, and it is one at a scale that we simply cannot ignore. Plastics are even finding its way to human food chains and we still do not understand the full extent of the human health impacts.

Plastics are very popular around the world due to its physical properties and cost-effectiveness. It is light, can be easily shaped, strong and cheaper compared to its other contenders. That is why plastics have reached to every corner of the planet and the rapid growth of plastic users after the post-world war 2 scenarios have been staggering. The uses of plastics have grown exponentially in the last 70 years without realising its negative effects. Now, we are trying to turn the wheel around but how? The questions to be asked are – what can we do about the pandemic of plastic pollution? Is plastic the main problem or what we choose to do with it?

‘Beating plastic pollution’ has been the theme for 2018 UN Environment Day, which has raised a lot of public awareness around the world and many countries have taken substantial steps to beat the plastic pollution. Many European countries have introduced a levy on plastic bags. China is one of the biggest users of plastics has implemented a ban on thin plastics. India’s Prime Minister has recently pledged to eliminate all single-use plastics in the country by 2022, with an immediate ban in Delhi. Bangladesh Government banned plastic bags in 2002 for different reasons; however it is now helping to limit the pollution levels. Not only governments but also many private companies, NGOs, charities etc. are now refusing single-use of plastics. The Coca-Cola Company has promised to make bottles containing a higher percentage of recycled plastic packaging to be reused and recycled. Despite the progress being made, we are way behind tackling the problems. It is therefore the momentum to beat plastic pollution should continue to progress. A train certainly has started rolling from its breakdown but it needs to roll faster.

Our society has been enjoying the benefits of plastics over hundred years but at the same time we let the plastic pollution go for too long. We didn’t realise that the pollution levels would be skyrocketed in such an astonishing way. Even If we completely stop using the plastics from today, it will still take hundreds of years to be non-traceable in the ecosystems and the environment, or it may never be fully recovered. Instead of blaming the plastics, the main attention should be on how the plastics get into the oceans? Why are there so many gaps in consumers’ knowledge and behaviours? The answers to these questions are very straight forward, yet they are complex as they have got socio-economic and cultural factors associated.

Public knowledge and behaviour vary widely from country to country. It happens often in the developing countries, people throw all sorts of things on the street including plastic packaging e.g. shopping bags, bottles, and food packaging etc., thinking it is government’s job to clean up. Plastics are comparatively lighter than other packaging products, therefore there is a greater risk that it will be blown away by wind to the roadside drains, ditches, canals, rivers and finally find its way to the oceans. Even in the richer part of the world, we have witnessed time and again in our holidays that people leave behind their rubbish after spending time on the sea beach. It could be purely due to lack of knowledge or laziness – people do not want to walk up to 100 meters to dispose their rubbish in the appropriate recycling bins. They are not bothered if plastic straws or bottles end up in the ocean, they may have the knowledge but do not care about the impacts of plastics on marine life.

To reduce plastic pollution, the behavioural issues are particularly complicated. The changes of behaviour will not occur until people understand the adverse effects of plastic pollution. No matter how many regulations will be brought into by the Government but it will not work. Citizens cannot just wash their hands off, thinking they are exempted to participate. They should be doing their parts too. We cannot expect that the Government will get all the necessary done without the help from the citizens. What Government can do? They can provide more waste management and recycling facilities, more awareness campaign activities, making sure the recycling plastic is economically viable, promote educational activities in the schools and looking for further opportunities to close the gaps. In order to carry out these activities, huge investments are required, but where will the funds come from? Environmental priorities always go at the bottom of the list when there are other so called important issues to be tackled.

Plastics cannot be completely eliminated as it has got many benefits. Society must strive to create sustainable plastics supply chain that benefits both the environment and economy. One of the biggest challenges in our hands is that the use of plastics will increase across the globe but collection and recycling efforts will not grow simultaneously, therefore we will fail to keep up with the pace. It says where there is a problem, there is an opportunity. I believe there are real opportunities particularly for the developing countries to turn this plastic menace to a profitable business by improving the Health, Safety and Welfare at work, CSR & Sustainability practices within the waste management and recycling sectors.