Ending plastic pollution: Let’s make better choices

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OPINION

By Dr Majwala Meaud Major

Every June 5, we celebrate World Environment Day and this year we will focus on ending plastic pollution. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues, thanks to the overwhelming rise in production of disposable plastic products.

Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or non-existent. Plastics revolutionised medicine with life-saving devices, made space travel possible, lightened cars and jets-saving fuel and pollution-and saved lives with helmets, incubators, and equipment for clean drinking water.

The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40% of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.

That's why some governments, like that of Uganda, have taken steps to limit or ban the use of plastic bags. Unfortunately, the law has not yet been enforced.

While soaking up the relaxing cadence of crashing waves on the beach, no one wants to think about how the water body has basically become a garbage soup. But here’s the buzz-killing reality: Moving around Lake Victoria, there are millions of tons of debris floating around in that water-and most of it is plastic. Equally alarmingly, plastic pollution in the water bodies is essentially irreversible.

It takes hundreds of years (or longer) to fully degrade; all the while, those pieces of plastic are also leaching toxic chemicals. And we're not just talking about people dumping their garbage overboard. Of course, plastic is pervasive throughout our ecosystems (and even our clouds), and our addiction to the stuff is a danger to terrestrial animals as well. And that’s to say nothing of the hazards the plastic crisis poses to our climate and our health, too.

Given all these dangers, it's in our best interest to try to keep as much plastic as possible out of the waste stream in the first place. The good news? There are many small ways you can have a big impact. In countries like Uganda, we can ably wean ourselves off single-use plastics.

Half of all plastic produced is for throwaway items that are used once and then chucked: grocery bags, plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, straws, coffee-cup lids. Take note of how often you rely on single-use plastics and replace them with reusable versions. It only takes a few times of bringing your own totes to the store, garment bag to the dry cleaner, silverware to the office, or travel mug to the coffee shop before it becomes habit. Yes, we can also stop buying bottled water.

This is tough, but we can do it-boycott microbeads. Those little plastic scrubbers found in so many beauty products-facial scrubs, toothpaste, body washes-might look harmless, but their tiny size allows them to slip through water-treatment plants. Unfortunately, they also look just like food to some marine animals. Opt for products with natural exfoliants, like oatmeal or salt, instead.

Again, why can’t Africans or Ugandans cook more? Not only is it healthier, but making your own meals doesn’t involve takeout containers or doggy bags. For those times when you do order in or eat out, tell the establishment you don’t need any plastic cutlery or plastic carry-out bags. For some serious extra credit, bring your own food-storage containers to restaurants for leftovers. 

We are often encouraged to recycle plastics. While we can’t recycle our way out of the plastic crisis, recycling is still important to reduce the footprint of our waste stream. To sort through what can and can’t go in the bin, check out the number on the bottom of your containers.

We can further support a plastic bag tax or ban. What about buying in bulk and look for eco-friendly packaging. Single-serving yogurts, tiny packages of nuts-consider the product-to-packaging ratio of items you tend to buy often and select the bigger container instead of buying several smaller ones over time. For sure, we can all put pressure on manufacturers.

Though we can make a difference through our own habits, companies obviously have a much bigger footprint. If you believe a company could be smarter about its packaging and use less plastic, make your voice heard. Write a letter, tag them on social media, or hit them where it really hurts: Give your money to a more sustainable competitor. But remember, reducing is still the better option.

Once in the water bodies-lakes, rivers or oceans, it is difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve plastic waste. Even with mechanical systems, which can be effective at picking up large pieces of plastic, such as foam cups and food containers, from inland waters.

Leave alone the young boys and girls moving around the city suburbs and trading centres collecting plastics for recycling. But once plastics break down into microplastics and drift throughout the water column in the open water body, they are virtually impossible to recover.

The best way to reduce plastic pollution, I can confidently say, is to prevent plastics from entering waterways in the first place via improved waste management systems and recycling, better product design, and a reduction in manufacturing single-use plastics.

The writer is a Member of Humanity Direct Team and President of Sustainable World Initiative-East Africa