We don’t have a problem with plastic, we have three..
Maps of the “plastic continent”, the garbage patches of floating plastic debris in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans big as whole countries, give a new dimension to the accumulation of tons of non degradable waste. The recent news of the presence of micro-particles of plastic in tap water, fish, and even glaciers, is making very clear that decomposing plastic material is omnipresent, ending up in the air, in the water we drink and in our food chain.
Staring at those images and reading the unfathomable numbers (165 million tons of plastic pollution in the sea, 480 billion plastic drinking bottles sold in 2016, 300 million tons of plastic produced per year) it is hard not to look at the packaging we bring back home, the products we purchase, the bottles we drink from, and wonder if there are ways to reduce our own plastic waste. Many of us are looking for actions we can take as individual households beyond putting plastic items in the recycle bins, but feel it is important to understand which are the main issues and what are the best strategies to address them. We all want to do something but we want to do things that matter and have a real impact.
In the sections below we try to clarify some of the challenges distinguishing between, waste, recycling and production to understand whether it is more effective for us to find biodegradable alternatives to plastic, use recycled products or simply reduce the use of plastic as much as possible.
1. Accumulation of plastic waste
The American Association for the Advancement of Science recently published an article by Geyer, Jambeck and Law (R. Geyer, J. R. Jambeck, K. L. Law, Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Sci. Adv. 3, 2017) which estimates that 8300 milion metric tons of virgin plastics have been produced to date (since the early 20th century when plastic was first synthesised from fossil fuels). As of 2015, approximately 6300 million metric tons of plastic waste had been generated, of which around 9% had been recycled, 12% incinerated, and 79% has been accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. This means that the majority of all plastics ever produced has been discarded and is accumulating in landfills where it contaminates the soil, leaking into waterways, or is dumped in oceans. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in the natural environment by 2050.
The most significant fact of all of this waste is that it comes from plastic products that are used only once or for very short periods. In 2015, 407 Mt of primary plastics (plastics manufactured from virgin materials) entered the use phase, whereas 302 Mt left it which means that 3/4 of all the plastic produced is used for less than a year and probably used only once. The authors of the study estimate that only 30% of all plastics ever produced are still currently in use.
The reality therefore is that in the last 100 years we have accumulated a huge amount of plastic waste which has either been buried in landfills or dropped in the sea. None of the mass-produced plastics biodegrade in any meaningful way. Sunlight weakens the materials, causing fragmentation into particles known to reach millimeters or micro- meters in size and entering the food cycle. Our first challenge is therefore to think of ways of reusing or disposing of the existing material which has accumulated all around the world.
2. Production of plastic
Plastic is being produced in ever increasing quantities, estimated to a 12% increase per year. Common consumer plastics include a large variety of types of organic compounds commonly derived from petrochemicals. While most plastics contain organic polymers they are modified to obtain particular characteristics such as increased malleability or hardness or blended with inorganic compounds. There are many classifications, the most common distinguish acrylics, polyesters, silicones, polyurethanes, halogenated plastics. One of the least expensive types is polyethelene which is used in packaging, plastic bottles and plastic bags. There are also highly specialised plastics used in construction, medical implants or aeronautics but compared to the others they account for a fraction of newly produced materials.
If we look at all the plastic produced approximately 42% of all non-fiber plastics have been used for packaging. This means that the majority of plastic is manufactured for a very brief life span. As said above most of plastic ever built finds its way in waste, and new plastic has to continuosly be produced to replace it which also has serious implications for global warming.
The manufacturing of plastics from crude oil requires 62 to 108 MJ/Kg. Producing silicon and semiconductors for modern electronic equipment is even more energy consuming: 230 to 235 MJ/Kg of silicon, and about 3,000 MJ/Kg of semiconductors. Just as a comparison 1kg of wood needs 7MJ of energy and 1 Kg of paper 50 MJ. Plastic is therefore expensive in terms of energy. Our second challenge is to reverse the trend to produce more and more virgin plastic.
3. Recycling of plastic
Most plastics are durable and not biodegradable. The very chemical bonds that make them so durable tend to make them resistant to most natural processes of degradation. The only way to permanently eliminate plastic is through combustion or pyrolysis which can emit highly toxic fumes in the air and produce CO2 .
There has been a strong policy push to recycle, however only 9% of plastic is being recycled and less than 10% of that is recycled twice. Furthermore, not all plastic can be recycled. Thermoplastics which are plastics that can can be remelted and reused, and thermoset plastics which can be ground up and used as filler are examples of plastics that can be recycled. However a major challenge is automating the sorting of plastic waste which mostly has to be done by people looking at the identification label to classify the type of plastic before deciding how to recycle it.
Strategies to tackle the challenges
To summarise the three main issue we face are : the amount of accumulated plastic waste that does not biodegrade and is polluting our soil and our seas, the cost and challenge of recycling all plastic materials, the impact on global warming of the manufacturing of plastics.The strategies that governments are adopting to address plastic waste focus on two main themes: identifying biodegradable materials that can substitute fossil fuel based plastics, increasing the quantity of plastic being recycled.
There are however innovative companies attempting to find ways to exploit the recycled materials.
Using recycled plastic to exploit the tons of existing waste plastic
There are numerous initiatives and a growing number of companies using recycled plastic as a basic resource for their products. From roads made in recycled plastic rather than asphalt, to shoes made with recycled PET, or street furniture made from recycled plastic pellets, we are witnessing a range of innovative solutions to use waste plastic.
Precious Plastic for instance has prototyped a small lab to recycle plastic and make objects from shredded materials.
Reducing the use of single use plastic
Some countries or local authorities are attempting to curb the circulation of single use plastics. Already 7 African countries have banned plastic bags, France has passed a law to ensure that all plastic cups, plates and cutlery are compostable or biologically sourced material, and in other countries campaigners are working to change industry standards.
A Plastic Planet calls to supermarkets to have plastic free aisles.
Substituting plastic with biodegradable materials
Whilst most plastics are produced from petrochemicals, bioplastics are made substantially from renewable plant materials such: as cellulose and starch. There are multiple experiments going on around the world to invent new forms of packaging that are fully biodegradable, compostable or designed for after use.
ooho is water in an edible seaweed container
What can we do as individuals and households?
Our behaviours at home are a fair reflection of what happens globally. On average a household in the UK uses 480 plastic bottles a year and recycles less than half of them. Packaging accounts for 18% of waste produced by a household each week. A large majority of the plastic we use in our daily life is single use or short lived. While we wait for legislation to change and require food outlets to use biodegradable plastics, and the majority of products to be made of recycled plastics there are there are hundreds of existing services and products that want to offer an alternative to a lifestyle heavily dependent on non biodegradable plastic. From shops with no packaging to bathing costumes made of recycled fishing nets there are innovative and fun alternatives to traditional plastic.
These services are grouped according to the most impactful actions we can take. On the platform iywto.com there are hundreds of solutions that offer alternatives to plastic, here we mention just a few :
- lengthen the life span of the plastic we use, either by using products made with recycled plastic, or making sure the plastic objects we buy and own last for a long time and are passed on when we finish using them
Shoes made with recycled and natural materials
Rucksacks and bags with upcycled materials
2. Buy products that are either not made in plastic or made with biodegradable plastics
Carrier bags that are compostable and contain seeds that will grow
3. reduce the use and purchase of single use plastics and find alternatives to plastic bottles, cans of washing products, packaged foods, cutlery and plates that are used in restauration, etc.
