Blue Plastic Whales
The largest animal that remains in existence today is the Antarctic blue whale. In 1947, South Atlantic, a blue whale that weighed approximately 419,000 pounds, was the largest ever recorded of its species. An estimation was made in 2020 revealing that global plastics production reached a high point at 367 million metric tons. The total weight of plastics produced in 2020 is equivalent to about 1,900,000 blue whales. In retrospect, there are more plastic-made blue whales than actual blue whales in the open ocean.
In today’s society, every household purchases and consumes partially, if not entirely, plastic-made products. Ultimately, eliminating plastic usage in the world can result in more issues with fatal consequences surfacing. Plastic use is inevitable, and no reduction can reverse the damage done.
Plastics have multipurpose use and are a crucial element for two primary industries: the food and the medical industries. The food supply chain commonly utilizes plastic-based packaging to ensure product safety during transit. It also serves as a sealed protectant to prevent spoilage, while extending the expiry date. This type of packaging is one of the safest and most cost-efficient methods companies employ. Even though many businesses are aware of plastics’ role in damaging the environment, not all can switch to sustainable packaging. It is costly for manufacturers to use an eco-friendly method, as there is a high probability that consumers will reject the product due to its high cost and seek cheaper alternatives for the same product. Many companies have been proactive in combating plastic pollution. The print numbers on their packaging indicate the source of each type of plastic packaging, for each product, and whether or not it is recyclable. The consumer’s responsibility is to dispose of the waste properly after consumption, however Global Plastics Outlook’s data from 2019 shows that only 9% of total global plastic waste was successfully recycled. The same data also revealed that 22% of plastic waste was mismanaged; this occurs in countries still undergoing nationwide development and may not be as well equipped with waste managing facilities that can adequately process recyclable plastics. With the improvement of the efficiency rate on waste management and a society with a shared consciousness of disposing of recyclable plastics properly, the world can continue to enjoy the use of plastic packaging.
The world is currently living in an era of COVID-19 pandemic where it is required to participate in PCR testing everywhere. That is where individual plastic packaged cotton swabs come into play; their purpose is to prevent cross-contamination. A significant amount of plastic is being used and thrown out daily in the medical industry. According to the National Library of Medicine report, “all patients COVID-19 tested with RT-PCR have generated 15,439.59 tons of plastic residue worldwide.” Plastic plays a big part in keeping medical equipment sterilized. Doctors must renew their surgical supplies upon entering an OR with different patients. To go more in-depth, an article written by Ken Budd from AAMCNews stated that, “4.4% of all greenhouse gas emissions and over 5 million tonnes of waste come from hospitals.” Companies found sustainable solutions to reduce waste, such as Enviropouch and NewGen Surgical, to replace traditional plastic contained supplies. The companies’ initiatives are admirable, but accessibility has become a rising problem in third-world countries and small clinics. Also, it will be a financial burden to import sustainable supplies into rural regions of the world. Given all the greatness that new initiatives bring, every hospital and healthcare facility must act unanimously to achieve complete sustainability in a medical setting.
Seeking ways to replace the world’s plastic problem with alternatives creates more inefficient issues. Instead, the focus should be on identifying and putting immediate solutions into motion. Starting from a small scale, education on correct recycling methods should become a standard for people of all ages in every country. Artists all over the world have been exploring the artistic avenue of upcycling. Alvaro Soler Arpa, an artist from Catalan Spain, transformed plastic waste into fourteen sculptures of various animal skeletons called “Vida Tóxica’’ (Toxic Life) to showcase the impact of plastic pollution to his audiences. Pushing the boundaries to a bigger scale in Taiwan, the founder and CEO of Miniwiz, Arthur Huang, and his team brought the EcoARK project to life. The EcoARK Pavilion “is the world’s first fully functional and public structure made of Polli-Brick,” this structure was pieced together by 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles. Architectural innovations such as recycled plastic lumber, ecobricks, and eco tiles are leading examples of incorporating plastic waste into their constructional design. Plastic has a durable, flexible, moldable nature that is low maintenance and weather resistant. All of the aforementioned qualities suggest that plastic is an excellent fit to become one of the best core materials for future infrastructures. By fostering new ideas and innovations, plastic waste can become an asset to the world.
There are both issues and viable solutions to ensure that the plastic waste we produce can safely be disposed of or reused from the food chain manufacturers to the healthcare industries, and many other sectors. Simply banning, reducing, and rejecting plastic-made products will not solve the problem.
The discovery of more practical and efficient answers to the world’s issue of plastic is waiting to be revealed by those who seek. Soon, plastic waste will only be found in galleries capturing the forms of joyous whales roaming the open water as sculptures free from plastic pollution.
“The plastics issues are real, but modern society will become paralyzed without them.” - Ina Chuang
Work Cited
“Hospitals produce tonnes of plastic waste annually — How can they reduce this?” ECHAlliance, 28th June 2021, https://echalliance.com/hospitals-produce-tonnes-of-plastic-waste-annually-how-can-they-reduce-this/.
MNIWIZ. “Viable Plastic Alternatives for Hospitals.” Medium, 30th Apirl 2021, https://miniwiz.medium.com/viable-plastic-alternatives-for-hospitals-9050797addb.
“Skeletons Enmeshed in Plastic Pollution Descend on Barcelona.” Mission Blue, 23rd February 2016, https://mission-blue.org/2016/02/skeletons-enmeshed-in-plastic-pollution-descend-on-barcelona/.
“GREEN BUILDING & INFRASTRUCTURE.” Plastic Smart Cities, https://plasticsmartcities.org/products/eco-construction. Accessed 28th April 2022.
“Plastic residues produced with confirmatory testing for COVID-19: Classification, quantification, fate, and impacts on human health.” National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33333399/. Accessed 18th April 2022.
“Plastic pollution is growing relentlessly as waste management and recycling fall short, says OECD.” The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 22nd February 2022, https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm.
“The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainable Packaging.” Tembo Paper, 29th November 2020, https://www.tembopaper.com/news/the-challenges-and-opportunities-of-sustainable-packaging.
