Our Plastic Planet
Plastic is by no doubt a material that has exploded in popularity in the last two decades, from its useful properties and versatile applications in industry, it has become both the result and encouragement for the spread of globalization.
However, only in the last couple of years, we have started realizing just how dependent we are on plastic and what kind of effect this has been having on the well being of our planet.
One issue is the sheer amount of plastic that we are producing each year, while another issue is how we choose to manage and dispose of that plastic. In fact, quite recently National Geographic has said that up to 91% of plastic is not recycled, meaning that much of the plastic we produce - the billions of tones of it - ends up as litter and eventually in our oceans. With plastic's tendency to take a long time to biodegrade, plastic has started to seriously damage ecosystems and the species living there.
Soon if it has not already, plastic will be seriously affecting our lives too.
PLASTIC IN NUMBERS
On average, 500 billion single-use plastic bags are used per year
It is estimated that each day, 13,000-15,000 pieces of plastic are deliberately dumped into the ocean
Every year, more than 8 million tones of plastic are dumped into the ocean
The bioaccumulation of plastic microfibers is a real issue, where marine scientists have stated that up to two-thirds of the worlds fish stocks suffer from plastic ingestion
It is estimated that in each square kilometre of the ocean, there are four billion pieces of plastic microfibers
Half of the plastics in the world have been manufactured in the last 15 years
WHAT EVEN IS PLASTIC?
Even though plastic is such a big part of our daily lives, how many of us actually know what plastic even is? How do we define what counts as a plastic?
Well, generally speaking, plastics are materials that have the ability to be malleable and be moulded into a different shape. They are made up of synthetic or half synthetic organic compounds, that act as polymers and can be linked up to form different types of plastics.
Plastics are mostly derived from a group of substances known as petrochemicals, which are chemical substances that are made in the process of refining petroleum; Another major driving force in our world. There are also some plastics that are manufactured from renewable materials that are made from plant sources, however, those are greatly outnumbered by petrol derived plastics.
The number of years it takes plastic to naturally degrade and break down depends on what type of plastic it is and in what sort of environment it is degrading in (Whether it is exposed to external factors such as sun, wind, rain, the cold etc.), but the breakdown of plastic can take anywhere from 50 to 600 years.
PLASTIC POPULARITY
Plastic being a very versatile and highly useful material in our industries today has dominated our world to the extent that for many things we can’t imagine a world without it. The rise in its popularity can be illustrated by the rise in its global production and usage. For example, in the year 1950, the world had produced a negligible 2 million tones of plastic however by the year 2015, the worlds produced up to 7.82 billion tonnes of plastic - a number which is still rising.
There are several reasons why plastic has had such a dramatic increase in usage throughout history:
Useful properties: Plastics are known to be lightweight, have a high strength to weight ratio, can be mass-produced with no significant cost, they are water-resistant and are good as thermal and electrical insulators. These are all properties that make them very applicable to industrial uses today.
Various uses: Because of the widespread number of properties that plastic has, it has many uses in today’s industrial world. For example, in developed countries, roughly 30% of the plastic produced is used in packaging, however, plastic is also used in our clothing, such as various polyesters and nylon-based pieces of clothing. Apart from that, plastic is used in plenty of packaging, plumbing systems, wire insulation, carpets, stationery, working equipment, toys, machinery and various car parts.
Globalization: While globalization has brought plenty of benefits to our society and the functioning of our world, such as improved access to information, better transport links and generally a wider availability of products, it also comes with a downside. By having more products being available and the rise of the internet, more packaged products are able to be bought and sold all over the world, which increases the overall number of plastics used in both the making of goods and packaging of them. Furthermore, globalization has enabled countries to grow and develop which has fostered industries, many of which either rely on plastics to operate or are responsible for producing plastic in the first place. By having plenty of useful properties and being inexpensive to mass-produce, it has become the perfect commodity to produce since it can be moulded into almost anything and can serve plenty of functions that are a daily part of our lives.
Growing population: We have to also take into consideration the growing global population, which encourages the use of even more resources that promotes the rise of industries, while alongside it producing a mass amount of waste that is degrading the natural environment. To put things into perspective, in the year 1960, the world population was just about 3 billion, and just 60 years later today, the global population has surpassed 7.6 billion. With the global population is expected to increase, we can only imagine what that will do to the number of waste produced.
THE PLASTIC PROBLEM
DAMAGED MARINE ECOSTYEMS
As previously said, it is estimated that each year up to 8 million tones of plastic ends up floating around in our oceans - the largest waste sink in the world. Generally speaking, human waste mainly comes from land-based regions such as urban and storm runoffs, tourism, inefficient waste management, industrial activities and illegal dumping of waste. Most plastic found in oceans is due to fishing boats, nautical activities and aquaculture - the farming of fish and seafood.
These plastics are hurting and often even killing many of the marine species living in aquatic environments. Choking, ingesting or getting tangled up in plastic, are all things that much of the sea world is experiencing. The United Nations have at that at least 800 species around the world are currently affected by marine waste and that 60% of all sea bird species have eaten at least one piece of plastic in their lives.
With plastic being exposed to the sun and harsh weather conditions, it breaks down quicker, however, it does not disappear fully and instead turns into microplastics which are tiny pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5mm in diameter. These pieces are easily ingested by various marine species - small and large - which means that over time the species at the top of the food chain end up with the largest concentration of plastic in their body from having consumed plenty of smaller consumers below them. This is the process of bioaccumulation, which puts species that are at the top of the food chain, at a higher risk of dying.
Additionally, because the production of plastic is an activity that promotes global warming due to the release or production of greenhouse gases, oceans are up-taking more CO2 gas, making them more acidic, which severely damages sea corals that provide an essential ecosystem for other aquatic beings.
POORER WATER QUALITY
Microplastics are found in almost all water sources today including our drinking water. So far, research done by the World Health organization is inconclusive about how microplastics in our drinking water affect the human body, but we can most definitely say that they do not provide any positive effect since plastic in the water is not natural. United Nations suggest that more research and studies are needed in the field of microplastics and human health to establish a clear connection between them.
WORSENED AIR QUALITY
One of the primary ways in which plastic worsens air quality is during the process of oil extraction - the substances from which plastic is made. During the process of oil drilling, a spectrum of harmful and often toxic waste gases are released into the atmosphere that have been stored underground for millions of years. Some examples of these gases include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, ozone and sulfur dioxide.
Because plastic takes so long to break down, one method of how we currently dispose of plastic is by incinerating or burning it which is extremely harmful to the atmosphere as it releases fumes of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and various toxic chemicals, that harm both our lungs and the lungs of animals. People living in environments where plastic is burned have significantly higher risks for asthma, cancer and plenty of other respiratory conditions.
Plastics take up a lot of energy and resources to be made, where they leave behind a large carbon footprint that is further contributing to climate change and doing no good for ourselves and our environment.
DECREASED FOOD QUALITY
Although more research needs to be gathered, there are two primary chemicals of concern; Phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA), in relation to how plastic impacts the food we eat. Phthalates are chemicals that are responsible for making plastics soft and flexible and are most commonly used in children's toys, food processing equipment and medical instruments. This chemical has been found to be toxic to the reproductive health of both males and females.
BPA or bisphenol A, on the other hand, has raised a lot of attention recently, because it is widely used in both hard type plastics and inside of food cans and it as been observed that it can leech into the food that is in contact with it, especially if it is heated up like in microwaves.
Even though the doses of exposure for these two chemicals are small, more and more pieces of microplastic are being found in our food sources and could in the long term after having accumulated, have a negative impact on our developmental, endocrine, reproductive and neurological health.
WHY CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE?
We as humans have the tendency to only care about an issue if it directly has an impact on our lives, which is why some of us would be raising our eyebrows to the concern of plastic since, for many of us in the developed world, plastic does not seem to directly be harming us, in fact, it has made our lives so much easier and more comfortable. Therefore, why should we care about this issue?
While plastic may not yet be affecting you or the planet to its maximum extent, it may very well start doing so in the upcoming decade. With the plastic production and consumption increasing each consecutive year, the potential negative impacts of plastic do not seem to be dissolving any time soon. In fact, plastic is already having current impacts such as contributing to global warming, endangering species, worsening the quality of our air and water as well as being a potential hazard to our own health. This is why you should care; because you are part of the issue and we are all to some degree responsible for it.
WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC CONSUMPTION
I don't want to come across as a person who has never in their life contributed to the making and wasting of plastic, but I do try and make a daily effort to reduce my plastic footprint. In this case, as with many, it is not about being perfect and trying to force yourself to not use any plastics whats so ever and live as though you were a caveman. No, that’s not the point and nor is it the right approach. The point is for all of us to give our best effort in minimizing our reliance and usage of plastic, as small amounts can stack up and in the end result in a positive global change.
If we want to encourage a change in our behaviour and attitude towards plastic, we have to make it easy and applicable to the lifestyle of an ordinary person. To become less reliant on plastic, we have to positively encourage this change and make sure that we are making our best effort to reduce our waste when we can.
Here are a couple of examples of how you can begin to reduce your plastic waste today:
Reusing your current plastic products
Buying food in bulk stores with your own bags
Replacing your plastic bottles and cups with materials like glass, metal or porcelain
Investing in reusable cloth-based bags for long term use
Not using plastic straws
Reducing your consumption of chewing gum
Buying eating utensils that are made of metal or wood
Investing in glass or metal food containers for lunch boxes
Not using plastic bags in stores, when you don't need them
Returning back plastic food containers
Bringing your own container for meat and prepared foods to the store
Refilling your shampoo and detergent bottles in specialized stores that limit plastic waste
Reducing your consumption of processed and heavily packaged food
Visiting your local farmers market with your own shopping bags
Having at least one reusable bag in each of your most commonly used bags
Always bringing along a reusable bottle that you can refill where ever you go
Mindful things to consider:
Do I want this or do I need it?
What impacts will my choices make?
Am I making an effort to try my best here?
