Plastic
Plastic Free July 2023
Plastic has been used for decades. The earliest uses of plastic were around 3,500 years ago, with the Olmecs of Mexico. Back then, they used a natural source of plastic from the rubber tree to play a ball game. It was during the mid-19 and 20 centuries that synthetic plastics were invented and used for decades. Most of today’s plastics are synthetic and come from fossil fuels – crude oil and natural gas.
Unfortunately, the production of plastic has doubled every decade, and much of this plastic ends up in landfill. Single-use plastics (e.g. beverage cups, plastic bags, cigarette butts, wrappers, sanitary items, straws, balloons, food containers, etc.) account for 40% of all plastic waste. They often aren’t recycled and end up in nature, damaging natural habitats and wildlife and polluting our waterways.
The plastic industry is directly associated with climate change, and there is an urgency to limit its production. In 2020 alone, the plastic industry’s carbon footprint was 1.3 billion metric tons. The current greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle threaten our capacity to meet global climate goals. The sectors with the highest consumption of plastics are packaging, building and construction, consumer goods, automotive, and textiles.
It is estimated that yearly, around 8 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans. And unfortunately, the current commitments made by governments and industry aren’t enough to reduce its carbon footprint or pollution. It is estimated that the current commitments will only reduce by 8% the amount of plastic waste going into the ocean by 2040.
According to the Plastic Atlas, recycling is only the second-best option to reduce the environmental impact of plastics. They estimate that less than 10% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. The total phaseout of single-use plastics and the end of virgin plastic production are the only two viable options to minimise plastic’s impacts on our planet.
Plastic’s impact on our environment is irreversible, as some types of plastics can never decompose as they become microplastics – tiny plastic fragments not visible to the naked eye that pollutes the soil, water supplies, wildlife and our bodies.
A study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment found a large number of microplastics in the human placenta. It is not the first study that finds microplastics in the human body, as previous studies have detected them in blood, stool, and lungs. The effects of microplastics on the human body are still unknown, as limited research is available.
Microplastics can be found everywhere. In the soil, wildlife, the human body, and the food we eat. A study from the State University of New York Fredonia found significant microplastic contamination in bottled water. Of the 259 bottles tested, 93% were contaminated with microplastics. The figure below shows water brands with the highest concentration of plastics.
Humans and nature are contaminated by plastic at every stage of the plastic lifecycle: from the extraction of fossil fuels to the end of life, where plastic is littered, landfilled, downcycled or burned.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The best way to reduce the use of plastics is to refuse them in the first place.
Today there are some alternatives to plastics: bioplastic, biodegradable plastic, compostable plastic, recycled plastic, etc. It can be very confusing and misleading. Some companies sell “recycled” plastic bottles, but when you read the back of the label, you may find that only 10% of the content is recycled.
All compostable products are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable products are compostable. Even more confusing, right? In general, biodegradable plastics are often still plastics that have microorganisms added to break down the plastic, but the problem is that they become microplastics. Compostable products are made of organic elements or plants that will degrade with time and don’t leave any toxic elements in the environment. So, when choosing between biodegradable or compostable products, always choose compostable.
It is important to note that compostable products need a specific environment to compost. These can be compostable in Commercial Composting and Organics Recycling facilities or at home composting solutions.
Products that can be compostable by Australian standards will have the labels found below.
Bioplastics, another alternative to plastics, are produced from renewable biomass sources: corn starch, vegetable fats, cellulose, olive pits, sunflower hulls, fish waste and algae, plant sugars, and mushrooms. Bioplastics are not necessarily compostable, and the product can be fully or partially derived from biomass. It is still necessary to analyse the entire life cycle of biobased plastics to see if they are favourable for the environment and if the current recycling streams may face additional challenges in recycling them.
Other day-to-day alternatives to plastics:
- Cotton bags to replace plastic shopping bags
- Bamboo toothbrush to replace plastic toothbrush
- Safety razor with replaceable stainless-steel blades to replace plastic razor blades
- Reusable water bottles to replace plastic bottles
- Reusable coffee cups to replace single-use coffee cups
- Natural fibres (organic cotton, hemp, bamboo) to replace synthetic fibres (polyester or acrylic)
- Reusable silicone food storage to replace plastic storage bags and wraps
- Bamboo cotton buds to replace plastic buds
- Alternatives to tampons and pads
- Buy food and cleaning products at your local bulk shop
- Stop using plastics to store fruits and vegetables during grocery shopping, just keep them loose in your shopping basket or use a reusable bag.
For more information on reducing your plastic use, visit Plastic Free July.
Before plastic existed, things were made to last, food and drinks came in bulk, bottles could be reused or returned, milk came in glass bottles, groceries sold loose vegetables, meat was wrapped in paper, and medicine was sold into a screw-top jar. However, the current lifecycle, culture and speed of modern life made plastics very popular. Now, it is up to us to find and demand for alternatives to stop using plastics!
Below there are links with more information about the impact of plastics in our planet:
Written by Julia Betancourt, Springmount Service’s Environment & Sustainability Officer.
