5 Solutions to Plastic Pollution and Why WE Must Act Now!

The Problem....

So, why is plastic so terrible? It is not always obvious why plastic is bad for the environment so I am going to fill you in on the main problems. The first problem is the imminent threat to the ocean that plastic poses. Soon, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish and in recent times 1 in 3 marine animals have been found tangled in plastic! The amount of plastic in the ocean is also a threat to humans now because 70% of Earth’s oxygen is produced by marine plants, meaning if they are killed by plastic and the diseases it brings we will be in serious trouble. Plastic even harms coral by giving it diseases and killing it, this has caused the decimation of hundreds of coral reefs all over the planet. The plastic breaks into microplastics over time which is eaten by animals. We humans then eat the animals which means we consume plastic too. The average human eats one credit card worth of plastic each week! If you think you are safe because you don’t eat seafood then you are wrong. Other animals also eat fish meaning microplastics are everywhere. Humans now have plastic in their bloodstream.

What can we do about it?

A Circular Economy.

This closed-loop system theoretically can stop any resource from damaging the Earth. For plastic, the loop would be as follows: use resources for plastic, recycle it and then make new plastic from the recycled plastic. Sadly, due to a lack of knowledge and the poor properties of plastic, it can only be recycled 2 to 3 times before it is unusable. This causes a linear economy. Take resources, make plastic, dispose of plastic and repeat. This means we are never “giving back” any resources to the planet and only using and using. Circular economies also usually use renewable energy and resources like solar power and wind power whereas linear economies use resources like coal and nuclear energy. A Circular Economy is the most reliable solution to the problem but you can’t do that alone so what can you do?

1

Now I know that you use plastic bags and plastic bag rollers when you grab your fruit and vegetables but do you really need those. There are so many alternatives to single-use plastic that work just as well. For example, instead of the little plastic bags for fresh fruits and vegetables, you can use mesh bags. They are small bags that you can reuse over and over again and they can be used for anything! You can also bring your own bag or buy a material bag for only $1 more than a plastic bag that you will only use for a couple of minutes. Some sustainable stores let you refill your products and use your own containers for things such as rice, lentils, beans and more.

2

Another easy way you can help is beach cleanups. Whether you organise them with communities, with a few friends or just you, every little action helps. It is not a hard thing and all you have to do is bring bags to put waste in. 15% of marine pollution ends up on beaches! Although Brunei doesn’t recycle plastic there are a few companies that will recycle for you. You never know, at the beach you could find treasure washed up on shore or an antique buried in the sand.

3

Recycling and Upcycling. I have talked about recycling but not upcycling. Many people may think these are the same but they are not! Recycling is converting waste into reusable materials but Upcycling is reusing a product to make it into something new. An example of upcycling is making lights out of plastic bottles. So, just because you can’t find a way of recycling, doesn’t mean you can’t upcycle. Some more ideas for upcycling are: a watering can out of a plastic bottle, a bird feeder, a flower pot, a phone holder and even art!

4

A simple way of helping is cooking from scratch more. This includes using as many fresh products as possible, not many packaged products and no plastic. This means instead of always having a plastic packet of pasta for dinner, you should make your own pasta or at least make your own sauce with fresh vegetables. This could even mean growing your own produce to limit your plastic use. You don’t always have to use no plastic but it’s easy to cut down on plastic use even if it starts with buying some seeds.

5

My final and maybe most important solution is spreading the word about plastic. Awareness is key when it comes to such an enormous problem. This doesn’t have to be flying a plane with a banner saying “SAY NO TO PLASTIC” (if that is something that interests you don’t let me stop you). It could just be you asking your teachers or superiors if you can talk about it for 5 minutes at a gathering or posting about awareness on social media. Knowledge is key and the more people that know about the problem, the more attention it will get. You could even put up posters about it or create a group of like-minded people who can help you on your journey.

I hope you really think about this. It is a problem that is growing faster than we can stop it. I hope you think about the dangers and terrifying consequences plastic brings. Remember, you don’t have to make a sustainable business plan or do a grand gesture, you just need to do little things that will eventually amass to big changes.