Could the War on Plastic Do More Harm than Good?
Social media and the plastic debate.
Earth Month, a tradition since the 1970s, recently took centre stage this April. With this year’s theme, “planet vs plastic,” it ignited discussions, flooding our feeds with images of plastic-choked oceans. But as Earth faces a crisis, we must ask: is banning plastic the silver bullet or just shooting ourselves in the foot?
Social media has given everyone a soapbox on environmental issues, which is great for spotlighting plastic pollution. These same conversations, when hijacked by shrewd marketing teams, become simplistic and self-congratulatory. We’re served one side of the story, leaving little room for critical thought.
Online chatter has shifted public perception; 85% are now worried about plastic. Organisations like Earthday.org aim for a 60% plastic production cut by 2040. They’ve got a point: When leaked into the environment, plastic can harm biodiversity and does not decompose. It’s also important to keep the petrochemical industry accountable for any pollution produced by their facilities.
The issue lies in the fact that, despite the changing public perception, there’s minimal effect on our plastic production levels. What’s more troubling is that some brands, in replacing plastic packaging with other single-use materials, might inadvertently be causing even greater harm to the environment.
Finding a plastic alternative
While it’s important to recognise where planet vs plastics gets its right, we also need to understand where they get it wrong. Plastic is a strong, lightweight and recyclable material. There are few viable alternatives, and those available often worsen environmental impact.
Popular alternatives like paper and glass, often championed as eco-friendly substitutes, come with their own set of environmental challenges. You would need to reuse a paper bag 43 times to have a lower environmental impact than a plastic bag, while glass production generates considerably higher carbon emissions.
Biodegradable and plant-based plastics offer promise in sustainability efforts. However, their single-use nature and reliance on chemical additives raise significant environmental and health concerns despite their appeal in addressing waste accumulation.
In the rush to replace plastic, the problem is that many alternatives can’t be recycled. Coated cardboard, for instance, is less recyclable than plastic, leading to a one-way trip to landfill after single use. In a Green Alliance Report Dan Cooke remarked that “knee jerk” reactions to ditch plastic for less recyclable options will worsen the environmental impact of packaging. Instead, there’s a pressing need for increased investment in improving recycling rates to keep plastic out of our environment and reduce our carbon footprint.
Plastic Dependence and Accessibility
Plastic’s deep roots in our culture make reducing plastic waste tough, says researcher Calvin Lakhan from the University of York. It’s everywhere, especially in industries like food, where lots of cheap goods mean lots of plastic trash. Changing this won’t be easy or quick.
The reliance on single-use plastics intersects with issues of equity and access. Many people, particularly those facing socio-economic disparities, need single-use plastics for sanitation and to keep products fresh. Alternatives often cost more, so not everyone can afford them. Alternatives often come with a higher price tag, making their use a privilege rather than a universal option.
Disabled people also rely on plastic products like straws as Ananya Rao-Middleton’s article for Greenpeace explains. Rao-Middleton advocates to reduce plastic waste, but she says we need to make reusable options accessible for everyone, especially those with disabilities. Unless we can achieve this, a blanket ban on plastic usage disregards the practical challenges faced by many disabled individuals.
We need to think carefully about how fast we can change our plastic-loving culture, especially with global warming and rising sea levels. Instead of stopping plastic production completely, let’s focus on using technology to make plastic less harmful to the environment.
Making plastic work for us
To tackle the plastic issue, we face a choice: cut production or ramp up recycling. While reducing plastic production seems straightforward, it’s a long process with potential drawbacks and alternative materials often harm the environment more.
The green alliance, a green think tank, warned that the public outrage about plastics may lead governments to rush into wrong choices that increase emissions and deforestation. While it’s easy to assume that cutting down on plastics at the source will solve plastic pollution, we must consider all our options to find the most efficient solution that meets our goal.
Recycling presents another solution. It requires less energy than producing new plastic and keeps it out of landfills. However, the UK’s recycling rates fall short, especially for plastics. Only 45% of waste is recycled in the uk, despite the fact that 80% of waste is recyclable. This statistic is even worse for plastic with only 12% being recycled in the uk despite 75% of plastics being recyclable.
Contamination is a major issue in recycling as only clean plastics can be processed. Therefore, packaging often ends up in landfill because of food residue. Worse, often entire batches of recycling are deemed contaminated and sent to landfill because of one unclean piece of recycling.
Globally, inadequate investment in recycling has led to a surplus of plastic. Recycling facilities are unevenly distributed, with some areas lacking efficient technology. Urgent development and construction of recycling centres worldwide is needed to manage plastic waste effectively.
Brands also struggle to access recycled materials due to scarcity and high prices. Increasing investment in recycling systems could make recycling profitable globally. This would shrink landfills, reduce new plastic production, and lower carbon emissions.
Investing in recycling offers tangible benefits: less waste, lower emissions, and affordable recycled materials. It’s a practical step towards addressing plastic pollution without reinventing the wheel.
The solution
Plastic pollution isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a global crisis. With our reliance on plastic outpacing our ability to recycle, swapping one disposable material for another won’t cut it. We must ramp up recycling rates, starting with personal accountability: clean and separate your recyclables. We also need to innovate to minimise contamination and build new recycling centres where they’re needed most. By taking action together, we can tackle plastic pollution head-on, making a meaningful impact, and fast. It’s time to turn the tide on plastic waste.
Sources
Ananya Rao-Middleton, 2022 – Greenpeace: what i wish non-disabled people understood about disability and plastic
Aryn Baker, 2023 – The dirty secret of alternative plastics
Calvin Lakhan, 2023 – why the war on plastics can do more harm than good.
Earthday.org, 2024 – planet vs. plastics global theme for earth day 2024
Green Alliance, 2020 – fixing the system: why a circular economy for all materials is the only way to solve the plastic problem
Green alliance, 2020 – Plastic promises: what the grocery sector is really doing about packaging
