Plastic pollution: A Growing Threat to Our Planet

If you ever bought a pack of sweets, tried on a new jacket, or even borrowed a pen in class, you’ve used the everlasting versatile material known as plastic. All these actions might seem different, but the truth is, most of our livelihood consists of using and disposing plastic because plastic is everywhere.

Plastic is deemed the wonder material of the century due to its versatility and durability. It is able to overcome the challenges associated with natural materials such as steel, paper and glass, and its use have grown rapidly in multiple sectors. Unfortunately, most of the commonly used plastics are not biodegradable. Exposed to constant UV radiation, plastic disintegrates into microplastic particles which are easily swallowed by all kinds of marine life, whereby they enter into our food chain and causing harm. 

Plastic additives which make plastic products so durable and versatile is toxic to human health and danger our ecosystem. For example, BPA makes plastic bottles transparent, but there is evidence that it interferes with our hormonal system.  DEHP makes plastic flexible, but may cause cancer. 8 out of 10 adults and nearly all adults have measurable amounts of phthalates, a common plastic additive in their bodies. 93% of people have BPA in their urine.

Impact on environmental pollution such as mismanaged plastic waste is mainly driven by population growth and affluence (GDP per capita). As standard of living and income level increases, this give rise to the consumption of plastic products, and subsequently increase in mismanaged plastic waste. Producers manufacture single use plastic that remain in our environment for a very long time without the responsibility for its end of life. This responsibility is left with the consumers to properly dispose of or recycle the plastic product.

Without the responsibility of how the plastic will end up in our environment, producers have a freehand to increase output of plastic products to meet demand. Global plastic production has doubled in the last 2 decades, 460 million metric tonnes (MT) of plastic was produced in 2019 alone. More than half the world plastics goes to landfills and the rest is incinerated or recycled. However, about 20% is either not collected or improperly disposed. At this rate, about 8 MT of plastic end up in our ocean every year.

If plastics are bad, why do we keep using them?

Plastic pollution isn’t the only environmental challenge we face, some of the substitute we use for plastics have higher environmental impact in other ways. Plastic requires a low amount of energy to produce compared to other materials. Plastics also help solve problems that we do not have good answers right now. For example, plastic packaging help prevent food from spoiling where it produces methane.

What can we do to solve the plastic pollution problem and restore balance?

For individual:

• Reduce our reliance on single use plastics. We can reduce our reliance on single use plastics by using reusable alternatives, such as reusable shopping bag, water bottles, straw & cutlery. We can also convince our friends and family to do the same.

• Recycle plastic waste. We can recycle plastic waste by using recycling bins.

For governmental entities / private companies:

• Educate local community & school children about plastic pollution.  Environmental awareness could influence behaviour changes that result in less plastic pollution. We can therefore prevent future plastic pollution by addressing systemic structures and mindset at the root cause level. 

• Cultivate recycling behaviour through environmental programs. Reward-based scheme can also be introduced to encourage consumer recycling behaviour. In Singapore, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and F&N embarked on an initiative to roll out smart Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) across the country to collect empty plastic bottles and aluminium beverage containers. The aim is to encourage consumers to adopt an eco-conscious lifestyle by offering them a convenient way to recycle.

• Improve current waste management system. More frequent and effective waste collection, especially in areas with high amount of waste (stock and flow model).

Conclusion

Plastic pollution is a serious problem, but it is not too late to take action. Our individual daily action have a huge impact. Together we can beat plastic pollution and protect our planet for future generations!

Additional resources:

The Ocean Cleanup: https://theoceancleanup.com/

Plastic Pollution Coalition: https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/

Earth Island Institute: https://www.earthisland.org/

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Author: John Neai Sing Han, Student of MBA Sustainability Management Class 1 (2023-2025)