A Real Problem
I was shocked when my 8 year old declared that a picture of the ocean in a book she was reading wasn’t realistic because it “…wasn’t showing any plastic.”
The incident reminded me of a ferry crossing last summer back to the UK. We were passing floating coke bottles and 6-pack ties and other plastic rubbish seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Then there was a splash – a fish had jumped out of the water and we pointed it out to each other.
I find it sad that seeing evidence of life in the sea is the anomalous observation.
This is potentially a sad omen of the projections in the 2016 report by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation that oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish (by weight) by 2050. Organisations such as the Ocean Cleanup who do their best to “rid the world’s oceans of plastic” are awesome, and I wish the project – and others like it – every success.
Plastic gets a bad press, but you have to admit that its versatility makes it a useful material. It’s strong, durable and water proof, for example, but these are just some of the very properties which make it so troublesome for the environment. The widespread use of plastic is likely to continue, but good management with mitigation strategies is key for a sustainable future.
Mitigation and Action
The issue was brought home to me when I visited the local market where there are two cheese stalls. One is slightly cheaper than the other and subsequently has the longer queue.
Both stalls wrap their cheese in plastic-lined paper, but where the more expensive stall uses wrapping which can be separated into plastic and paper and is therefore recyclable, the cheaper stall glues the plastic and paper together. Being non-separable it cannot be recycled.
Looking at the length of the queue it struck me that these people were spending less euros because it was the fish who were ultimately paying the price.
Money talks, but I think actions do too. I make a point of going to the more expensive stall with the recyclable packaging. As well as saving time in the shorter queue I hope I’m helping to save the environment too.
Where does it end?
Responsible disposal (i.e. recycling) of plastic is only one end of the plastic chain. One might argue that as long as there’s recycling or heartwarming clean up schemes then there’s no incentive to reduce the amount of plastic being produced because apparently (part of) the plastic disposal problem is being dealt with.
But pollution ends at the beginning; tackling the source of pollution reduces the need for remedial measures, and I’m happy to see that there are efforts to make this so.
Shoppers are more frequently being urged to leave unwanted plastic packaging at supermarkets (example) to drive home the message that plastic is being over-produced. The EU is planning a ban on single use plastic and companies such as Ikea are also phasing out their use and sale of single use plastic. Less demand will lead to less production – we hope.
Will less production convert to less irresponsible disposal?
We’re burning the plastic candle at both ends, and if we work hard at it, I hope we’ll extinguish the plastic.
