Dr. Arvind Kumar*
Plastic particles have not just pervaded throughout the environment, but are pervading our bodies too. A recent Dutch study examined blood samples from 22 healthy volunteers and found microplastics in nearly 80% of their bodies. This study contributes to the evidence that if it is in our blood, it can be anywhere in our bodies. From today onwards in the country some of the single use plastic items will be banned like grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups, and cutlery. These particular plastics are the strongest threat to the environment, wildlife, and people. They contribute to rising pollution levels, close to half of all plastics used worldwide end up in landfills or were dumped in the wild and are not biodegradable. Instead, they break down into smaller fragments known as microplastics which were found in the human blood.
The choice for the first set of single-use plastic items for the ban was based on “difficulty of collection, and therefore recycling. While technology takes its leaps and bounds to help us live our life more comfortable, we must not forget that the earth should also be able to sustain this advancement. We use so much plastic in our day to day lives, at home and in the kitchen that even recycling one item you maybe wouldn’t have done before can make a world of difference.
But sometimes it is cheaper to produce new plastic products than to recycle existing plastic. Every year, more than 380 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide, more than 100 times the weight of the entire blue whale population. Just 16% of plastic waste is recycled to make new plastics, while 40% is sent to landfill, 25% to incineration and 19% is dumped. More focus should be on increasing resource efficiency as a way to minimise waste through greater reuse, refill and repair systems not relying on recycling to be the saviour. The negative effects they have on the environment can be reduced and transformation of societal costs into a symbiotic relationship with the planet is imerative.
Living without plastics is not impossible, it is just hard. When you think you will be able to find a plastic-free version of all the convenient foods you consume you will realize that plastic made those foods possible like plastic wrapped freshly cut fruits, salads, veggies for stir fries and many more. Across the world, most of the plastic that ends up as garbage is material used for food packaging. The figure may be low for India, but the relatively primitive waste collection system and poor manner of disposal make the country one of the worst performers in unsatisfactory dumping and recycling. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, experts say some factors are a key to reducing single-use plastic. These include advance consultation with industries, sufficient time to build public support, strong enforcement, and the use of incentives such as the buy-back of banned plastic items.
Negatively affecting living beings on the earth can be avoided by not just reducing, reusing, and recycling all our plastic waste but also finding sustainable alternatives. The awareness has exploded and decisions like banning SUPs should not be just taken but monitored and abusers should be penalized. Otherwise with so much ending up in landfill and the environment, plastic will continue doing what it was made to do – endure.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
