GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS OF PLASTIC WASTE
INTRODUCTION
There was a time in history when the word plastic never existed but we cannot deny how plastic has made things easier to store, carry or transport due to its light weight. This quality along with the fact that it is cheap to produce encouraged the massive boom in the production of plastic over the past century. Plastic a somewhat misguided term for polymers was first discovered by John Wesley Hyatt during one of his experiments in 1869. By mixing nitrocellulose (a flammable nitrate of common wood or cotton cellulose), camphor (a waxy resin obtained from Asian camphor trees), and alcohol and then pressing the mixture in a heated mold, Hyatt discovered an attractive practical plastic material could be made (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018). The modern polymer industry however was effectively created by Wallace Carothers at DuPont in the 1930s (Eric, 2018). “Plastic” is actually a shortened form of “thermoplastic,” a term that describes polymeric materials that can be shaped and reshaped using heat.
Plastics production surged from 15 million tons to over 311 million tons in the past 60 years. It is certain with current trends that that growth will only continue in the next 20 years. While it is obvious that plastic is the “key enabler for sectors as diverse as packaging, construction, transportation, healthcare, and electronics,” as stated in a group report by the New Plastics Economy Initiative in 2015, we cannot continue to overlook the harm that is doing to the environment. The age of plastic has also ushered in a “buy, use and throw away culture” (Thomas, 2016). We cannot go back to the times we lived without plastic – they seem to be the air the breath now, but it is imperative that we tackle the environmental problems that this ‘miracle material’ has created.
This paper sets out to discuss the intersection of social, economic and environmental factors around plastic waste, the global implications and the urgent need to address this problem. It also offers local strategic approaches to ensuring a sustainable plastic future on a global scale.
THE PLASTIC ECONOMY
Image source: UN Environment
One thing that polymer designers never included in the design and manufacture of plastic is what happens after the end of the products initial lifetime. This is one of the major reasons why the planet has received more plastic waste than it can bear. As at 2015, global plastic production was reported at 320million. Driven by need, research was mainly focused on how to produce materials that could replace expensive natural materials like cellulose and cotton without giving thought to their effect on the environment.
Over the past sixty years what was deemed to be a miracle product is now seen as the world’s number one enemy. Why and how did it come to this? Most of the plastic we use are designed to be discarded after one-time use and they pose a threat to the environment and animals due to their non-degradable feature. Known as single use plastic (scientifically as polyolefins – polyethylene and polypropylene), these discarded materials pile up in landfills or due to their light weight, can easily travel far and end up in the oceans. Instead of degrading, they are gradually broken down into smaller fragments known as micro plastics. If current consumption patterns and waste management practices continue, then by 2050 there will be around 12 billion tonnes of plastic litter in landfills and the environment (UNEP, 2018).
The UNEP also states that the most common single use plastic found in the environment according to magnitude include cigarette butts, plastic drinking bottles, plastic bottle caps, food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, plastic lids, straws and stirrers, other types of plastic bags, and foam take-away containers. While we could say recycling is an option, it is sad to note that recycling polyolefins is not as straightforward as one would like owing to collection and cleaning issues. Oxygen and heat cause chain damage during reprocessing, while food and other materials contaminate the polyolefin. Continuing advances in chemistry have created new grades of polyolefins with enhanced strength and durability, but these cannot always mix with other grades during recycling (Eric, 2018). Also, polyolefins are now often combined with other materials in multi-layer packaging; while these multi-layer constructs work well, they are impossible to recycle bringing us back to square one – one time use and disposal
The image below shows the great pacific garbage patch. Discovered by Charles Moore on a trans-Pacific sailing voyage, the Pacific Garbage Patch is an accumulation of plastics, fishing lines, and other marine and land debris that spans hundreds of miles in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is one of the evidences of the harm that plastic waste has caused (Andrea, 2014).
Image Source:NOAA
Marine lives are at a risk because they cannot figure out what plastics are and often mistake them for food. Ingested plastic materials cause serious harm to these animals. As plastic is everywhere, land animals are not safe too.
UNEP states that most of this waste is generated in Asia, while America, Japan and the European Union are the world’s largest producers of plastic packaging waste per capita.
APPROACH TO TACKLING PLASTIC POLLUTION
There are diverse local efforts which when combined can produce a maximum effect globally. One way and perhaps one of the most effective ways to tackle the plastic pollution globally is by increasing local efforts. The first and most important issue however, is making people become responsible for how they consume and dispose plastic. In order to revive a dying recycling industry, individuals should be educated on the proper ways to disposing their plastic waste. If individuals can take time out to clean their recyclable plastic before throwing them into the recycle bins. This can be incentivized for faster results
Other countries can also learn from countries that have countries that have introduced bans and regulations on single-use plastics especially plastic packaging bags. The most effective way to discourage people from using a particular product is by blocking its source. Therefore if the production of packaging bags is banned, we can see a desired reduction in the use of plastic shopping bags and the rampant plastic packaging.
It is also time for designers and manufacturers to look into creating a circular economy for plastic. Proper life cycle assessment should be carried out. The research of sustainable alternative materials should also be financed. It should be ensured that such alternatives should indeed be sustainable so that we do not fall back into the cycle of producing to meet needs while ignoring the downsides.
CONCLUSION
As said by Erik Soleheim in his foreword for UN Environments publicationSingle-Use Plastic-A Roadmap to Sustainability, “Plastic isn’t the problem. It’s what we do with it. And that means the onus is on us to be far smarter in how we use this miracle material”. We already know the current causes, extent and impacts of the mismanagement of plastic. Taking urgent action is the next most important thing to do. At this point, it should be taken into account that education (raising awareness) is just as important as the government policies to ban single-use plastic, just as is need for improvement of waste management practices, the introduction of financial incentives to change the habits of consumers, retailers and manufacturers, enacting strong policies that push for a more circular model of design and production of plastics.
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Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018, November 24). John Welsley Hyatt. Retrieved March 13, 2019, from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Wesley-Hyatt
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UNEP. (2018). SIngle-Use Plastic-A Roadmap to Sustainability.Retrieved March 24, 2019, from UN Environment: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25496/singleUsePlastic_sustainability.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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AUTHOR: OLUWATOSIN FOLORUNSHO,
https://instagram.com/sophie_meraki?igshid=1366n5hcm8x38
