Turning it around

It is estimated that during last year, some 30 million metric tonnes of plastic were added to the trillions already polluting the world’s waterways and killing marine life. Up to the end of 2019, the annual projection was eight million tonnes, but scientists believe that the world’s response to COVID-19 has upped the ante and this will further burden the planet unless urgent action is taken.

Pre-coronavirus, over 120 countries had passed either a full or partial ban on plastic bags, one of the more insidious forms of plastic pollution, and one for which solutions are available. Those countries did not include the US, Canada and Australia which still lack countrywide bans or fees on plastic bags, even though those laws have been implemented in some states.

Some of the 120 countries and others were mulling bans on various types of single-use plastics that also end up in landfills and oceans. These include, but are not limited to, plastic packaging; rigid plastic foam; plastic banners; advertisement flyers with plastic coating; plastic plates, cups, cutlery, straws and stirrers, takeout food containers, water bottles and other beverage containers.

However, in 2020, a lot changed. Initially, there was much that was unknown about the virus and how it was spread and, in many countries, disposable plastic gloves became part of people’s wardrobes. In hospitals, clinics, old folks’ homes, stores, and other places considered essential that were not shuttered, even in taxis, other personal protective equipment like face shields were and still are the order of the day. For example, in the UK alone, the National Health Service reported that it had utilized 5.8 billion disposable gloves in 2020, compared to 2019 when it used 1.7 billion – and that’s just in hospitals and clinics.

Further, hygiene concerns saw consumers opting for plastic-wrapped produce. Supermarkets, even those that previously eschewed plastics, responded by giving them what they needed. Suddenly, there was so much more plastic everywhere and the fight to ease its stranglehold on the planet seemed to have taken a vicious kick to the backside.

And while the earth appeared to be slowly choking to death on plastics, petroleum companies that were down in the dumps owing to low oil prices as a result of the pandemic, were happy to churn out more polyolefins and other polymers and resins. It is a paradox that so many people choose to enhance profits rather than reduce human suffering.

Now that more is known about COVID-19, and some countries have begun to emerge from their self-imposed restrictions, there is hope that things can be successfully turned around. Among the reasons for this is the announcement by China, the world’s largest producer of plastic that it is going ahead with its 2020 plan to reduce same. In the first phase of this policy, being executed over five years, single-use plastic straws and shopping bags have been banned in major cities. Plastic straws are being replaced with paper straws or poly-lactic acid straws, supermarkets have stopped offering customers items in plastic bags, and restaurants can no longer offer single-use straws and must move to reduce the use of single-use plastics by 30%; hotels have until 2025 to phase out single-use plastic items. Those who violate the ban will be fined between ¥10,000 (US$1,400) and ¥100,000 (US$14,200).

In addition, Formula One, the world’s premier auto racing championship, recently announced that it used an estimated 143,275 plastic bottles to make its 2021 paddock passes that will be issued to staff, teams, media, guests and fans. This is part of its plan to be net zero carbon by 2030.

Meanwhile, there are groups and companies that did not baulk at the challenges posed by COVID-19, but instead became even more determined to leave the earth in a better place than they found it. Some have joined the open-source initiative NextWave, which seeks to rapidly decrease the volume of plastic litter entering the ocean. The companies are doing this by collecting discarded plastics from beaches and other areas where they might easily drift into waterways and this effort is currently underway in Indonesia, Haiti, Chile, Cameroon, Denmark, and the Philippines. The collected items are then upcycled into raw materials. One of the companies Bureo, has been making board games from these materials. Another, Hewlett Packard manufactures ink cartridges. Other companies in the consortium include Dell Technologies, Herman Miller, Interface, Humanscale, Trek Bicycle, General Motors, IKEA, Solgaard, and CPI Card Group.

NextWave said its goal is in alignment with the 14th UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and other marine resources for sustainable development by preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

It seems fitting therefore that NextWave is among the finalists for the SDG Action Awards, which will be announced today at the fifth SDG Global Festival of Action under the theme ‘turn it around for the people and the planet’. Coming on the first day of the two-day virtual event, the awards will honour and highlight innovators who are committed to making the world a healthier place.

We should, however, not forget the old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ and rather than having to clean the oceans, it would be better not to pollute them in the first place. If every person decided today to eliminate one single-use plastic item from their lives, it would make a huge difference. But while this would be commendable, the onus cannot be on individuals alone, governments have a huge responsibility to lead on this and they need to do so right now.