Losing the war on plastics

PAOLO KERNAHAN

"NO STRAW, please, I'll use my mouth." "No plastic forks either. Have you ever tried eating fried rice with a takeaway fork?"

This planet is blithely burying itself under a mountain of plastics that will outlive us all. Every day I fight what feels like a one-man battle to keep plastics out of my home and life. I'm like that Japanese soldier found in 1972 hiding in the jungles of Guam 28 years after the war was lost – still holding out hope for victory.

On the rare occasions I buy food out, I'm constantly fending off the plastic accoutrements of the industry. It's not the food attendant's fault, sending me on my way with a plastic fork wrapped in plastic. I can imagine the uproar that would ensue had she neglected to give another customer their daily ration of plastics.

Another pet peeve is the plastic bag for the single-purchase item – again, not the salesperson's fault. I often jokingly remind them it's already in a bag. If it were alcohol or a large box of condoms emblazoned with the sticker "on special" the need for discretion would be obvious. I don't think anyone is going to make withering judgments about my pack of Avril's plantain chips. Ease up on the salt a bit, Avril!

Still, it feels like my solo resistance to the invading plastic hordes is more about making me feel better than actually achieving anything.

In this pandemic, our use of plastic skyrocketed. Food businesses trying to navigate asphyxiating restrictions veered enthusiastically towards the grab-and-go business model.

This trend was incredibly convenient for both the consumer and the private sector, giving a new burst of vigour to an already surging tsunami of plastics in society. They're everywhere.

Did you know that much of the tea you drink is packaged in tea bags made of plastic? Yep, most tea bags are composed of polypropylene. Apart from the fact these tea bags will last forever in the landfill, what are the physiological impacts of drinking tea brewed from plastic sitting in hot water?

Despite what we know about the destructive legacy of our indiscriminate disposal of plastics, its production is increasing worldwide. It's estimated that plastic use will grow by 40 per cent over the next decade. Its use has risen almost continuously since the 1950s, when this miracle nightmare was born. That's a spine-chilling prognostication considering that eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste wend their way into the world's oceans every year.

Covid19 is responsible for multiple parallel pandemics, including a spike in plastic waste. Now added to the porridge of ocean plastics are masks, sanitiser bottles, testing strips and gloves.

This plasticocalypse causes immense damage to ocean ecology, wildlife and human health. Unfortunately, plastics are here to stay. They're relatively cheap to produce, which means they're inexpensive and durable packaging. They're also lightweight, which makes shipping products in plastic better for the bottomline. Plastics are incredibly versatile. They are on our feet, in our clothes, in our appliances and computers. That ubiquity and utility mean it's one tough addiction to kick.

There was a glimmer of hope when recycling became trendy. Consumers gravitated towards plastics stamped with the recycling logo – the chasing arrows. We want to believe we're doing our part for the environment. Recycling, however, is primarily a myth that massages false comfort in the consumer.

In most instances, the recycling logo on the packaging only indicates the product is technically recyclable. More often than not it's far cheaper to manufacture new or virgin plastic than to recycle it. Therefore, few companies are willing to buy plastics for recycling because the business model isn't feasible. The irony here is the chasing arrows logo on plastic packaging leads to increased consumption of plastics!

There are no easy solutions for the crisis of plastic waste. Many governments worldwide have taken bold measures to ban certain items such as single-use plastics. These measures amount to a drop in the ocean.

In the Caribbean, landfill space is limited, and the impact of plastics on our marine environment can have dire consequences. We need to be more aggressive, indeed, obsessive about reducing our consumption of plastics and fanatically disciplined about our disposal of these products.

So I'll continue fighting on, that lone soldier lost in the jungle teeming with plastics. Keep the fork away from me!