For this blog, I would like to address how plastics have made us softer as a group of people. Making us choose between our planet or making things more convenient in our personal lives because of how much we use plastics. I believe that we would benefit from just focusing on one industry and focusing on its plastic use and then moving on from there. With all this research I have on plastic waste, the food packaging industry became the main topic because of how much plastic it uses compared to other industries. It uses so much unnecessary plastic that can be easily removed and seemed like a great place to start. But first, you have to learn about plastic overall and why it has such a large impact on our planet. This is the only planet we have, we can’t waste it just because it might make for a slight inconvenience to us, Sooner or later as a group of people, we need to stand together and realize that the damage plastics are doing to our planet needs to end and we need to focus our energy on that so that we can live on a better planet. That’s why we need to focus on the packaging being used. Since the ideas and innovation that come from that, we can use them in other fields and allow them to bring new ideas. So now the problem can be slowly erased as we learn to solve a part of the problem. It can only be done slowly because of the vast amount of damage that is being done as we speak. At this point, we need to slowly stop what we are doing and look at ways to improve it. Going cold turkey will only cause more problems than it will fix because of how much plastic is being used in every industry. Looking at it now can you think of not using plastic in your everyday life? Just for one day would be hard for most people. Then looking at the population it is continuing to grow more and more. People need items at their doorsteps right away. A lot of plastic is wasted to accommodate people. Now with more people needing things and the rise of online shipping you can only expect the demand to continue to increase for plastic.
Background and plastic consumption
To fix any problem you first need to have some sort of background on the topic to allow yourself to better understand the problem. In this case, we have the consumption of plastic and how it has become a significant problem on the planet and how it causes major problems. “Plastic pollution: we all know it’s a problem. In 2015, we produced almost 450 million tons of plastic, with that number expected to double by 2050.” (1) Looking at these numbers you can see that the problem is only going to worsen as time goes by. We need to be able to bring that number down and not allow it to double. Even the initial number is sad to see and this is just the United States depicting the rest of the world and how much more there is that we don’t see. Then looking at the graph you can see the distribution of the waste and the large portion of it being in packaging is very troublesome. Focusing on the packaging is a great idea since working on the biggest problem can have its benefits. What makes it worse is that with all of this going on is that plastic already degrades slowly and that’s one of its many flaws. Yet when you look at the stats people are still not recycling and “less than 10% is recycled. And every year more than 8 million tons make their way into our oceans.” (Christi) so now looking at the negative effects of plastic waste and why we need to stop what’s going on. Because it’s not just affecting us as humans with all of the negative things going on there is also the ecosystem that’s heavily being affected. So not being able to see the great ecosystem is a large problem also. Since it’s such a large part of our world, realizing that shortly our plastic consumption could ruin it entirely is such a sad fact. Because of this, we need to focus on how to battle against it.
Plastic overall use
Now that you have seen what plastic has done to the environment now you can learn in-depth what packaging has to do with it. “Over the years, the world was not paying strict attention to the impact of rapid growth in plastic use. This has led to unprecedented amounts of mixed types of plastic waste entering the environment unmanaged. Packaging plastics account for half of the global total plastic waste.” [2] Now the main idea is that plastic waste is a significant problem. When it comes to solving it and making a large impact you need to see what the biggest factor of that is. Looking globally for the most part packaging has become one of the leading causes of why we have so much plastic waste. This is first because we have not been paying much attention to it and aren’t stopping how much of it that we use. Some of the problems with packaging involve buying smaller items, storing foods, takeout,t, and the cutlery that comes with that. These are all things that we do that are part of the problem and are why packaging is such a significant problem. Starting first with buying things in small packages. If we want to save the amount of plastic we use a significant problem is that many people buy things in small amounts instead of just buying them in bulk which would save so much plastic. Even when you’re not living with many people and you’re not on your own, buying things in bulk will save you money. Choosing not to is just hurting the planet and you for convenience. Then next you have storing foods that can be stored in the packages they were bought in. But if you have leftovers or things that you have made at home. Reusable containers are a great way to use things multiple times instead of using them once and buying new ones once you’re done. Then lastly takeout is a big one that is solely reliant on people wanting to do as little work as possible. Which comes out to a lot of plastic waste. What I mean by that is that takeout was made so that people would not have to do any work. Since all you do is order and the food you want is either delivered to your door so you don’t even have to move. Or you may need to move a little bit and have to pick it up at the restaurant. There is so much wanted plastic in this process compared to if you could have just sat down and eaten the food in the restaurant. Then you would have saved so much more plastic. Then on top of all of that, all the cutlery that you use has to be plastic. Those single-use items that you used could have just not been used.
Single-use plastic
Now transition to single-use plastics and their effects. With the demand growing, looking at food packaging is making a large impact because of how people use single-use items. Which are easy to use and make for so much less work but is it truly worth it? Now you’re looking at packaging overall but specific food packaging. “Demand for food packaging is on the rise as a result of increasing global demand for food due to population growth.”[2] Most of the food packaging is used on the go and single-use plastics are thrown away very quickly. A lot of this waste that comes from single-use plastic is entering the environment and contaminating land, water, and the food chain. Everyone who uses single-use plastic is encouraged to use other means. But it’s just so much easier to use it that many restaurants can’t stop using it. Now as you can see plastic packages even correlate with single-use plastics which are horrible for the environment. This shows that they are all connected so solving one can help with another issue. It’s all about starting and coming up with ways to step up and go against what we have done for so many years now.
People not changing
One example of why single-use plastic has become such a large issue is the mindset of how people think. Since most people don’t hate the environment and would like to help but never at the cost of their inconvenience. This is shown multiple times and is a large part of why it’s still a problem. “Canadians acknowledged that sustainable packaging alternatives were more desirable than outright plastic bag bans, despite not being willing to pay for them.”[3]I use this one case because it shows exactly what has been going on for far too long. Which is that people love the idea of helping and that is shown above. Yet when it comes down to making any sort of sacrifice or making minor changes then it does not occur. People just want to say they’re making changes, not doing it. To get people on board you need to be using new approaches that make it affordable and simpler for consumers. That they can choose the easier option and still be making a difference.
Another issue within the packaging industry comes from fast food and how much packaging waste comes from it and why it’s such a significant issue. Since there is so much plastic being used not all of it is recovered or recycled. Yet so much of it could be which makes for a significant problem. The study showed that the recovery rate of packaging waste in the fast food industry should be up to 93% yet only 29% of the total annual amount. “The total recovery potential of packaging waste is 64% of the total annual amount. The achievable recovery potential, 33% of the total annual amount, could be recovered, but is not mainly because of non-working waste management practices.” [6] This just shows interest and how little people want to help the cause and why this is still an issue. Because if you follow the numbers the recovery rates are very high and could make a large impact. Yet the result is that a little bit less than one-third of the total amount that could be recovered was recovered. Looking at this evidence we can see what is missing which is the effort to want to make a difference. Through the blog, you can see that the main theme has been seeing all of these things that we aren’t improving on and why it’s such a significant problem. Looking at this case of recovery rates we could make such a significant impact in terms of restaurants yet nothing is happening.
Peoples adjustment
We make such stupid decisions when it comes to how we treated our planet it’s saddening to see. Sometimes it just takes everyone making a slight adjustment in their lives. Yet many people do not want to even do that. A straw with our iced coffee, a plastic bag to carry our takeout, a wrapper on a candy bar: taken individually, each seems harmless. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitous—and quickly thrown out—that they hardly register in our minds.” [1] Yet all these things have such a large impact on us and can be quickly stopped if we thought first before we used many of the plastic products in our life, just there for our convenience and could be replaced with other alternatives that aren’t as convenient. Like with the first one looking at plastic straws. If we just didn’t use plastic straws or used metal straws, then we could make a large change. It would be so simple, yet people choose not to use plastic straws. Next, A plastic bag is another item that could be replaced with a reusable bag that you bring with you when shopping. But that would mean that you had to think ahead when you shopped which would cause people a bit of an inconvenience but would do so much good. As you can see from each example that was given, many of these things are not hard to fix. The common theme between them is having to do a little work or make a small sacrifice. Which for the most part would not make a significant changing what you’re doing at all. It would just make you have to think more about what you’re doing and think ahead.
Fast food
Lastly, with the food packaging industry, one thing that is brought up within the packaging is the fast-food industry and how that is a large part of it. One thing many don’t realize is that it also connects back to pollution since many times it goes hand in hand when it comes to the usage of plastic—looking at the food delivery industry it is heavily criticized for its large environmental impact especially its current use of plastic packaging which is only a small part of the problem. The larger issue is that at the same time the environment impacts the industry. “We show that air pollution is a behavioral driver of food delivery consumption in the urban developing world. Data from an online delivery platform with a broad customer base indicate a smaller, but still substantial, causal link between air quality and food delivery.” (Ncube) Overall what this data is showing is that there is a link. It is a small one but a small link that connects the use of plastic and takeout to air pollution which is a large problem itself. The issue with that is if one thing links to another no matter how small you now risk causing significant problems to the planet. Which then means if you can make a stop to plastic packaging then you’re able to make an impact that affects more than one area.
Against my idea
Some are against the idea and say that plastic does too much good for us to stop using it. Others say that we have known about how bad our consumption of plastic is and how not much has been done since then. I would say that just because things have gone badly and not much has been done doesn’t mean we should quit. We should continue trying to make an impact and not look at the past to make a difference. Then those who say that it does too much good don’t realize “There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. According to a 2017 study more than half of the non-fiber plastic, which excludes synthetic fiber like polyester and nylon, comes from plastic packaging alone, much of which is for single-use items.”[3] This proves that plastic can be useful and very helpful in many cases but for the most part it is not. For those extreme cases, we can make an expedition and continue to use it. Yet for the times that it is not used for those cases then we can try to improve that.
Plastic bags in chile
One example of a solution that worked well in Chile was banning plastic and making it impossible for people to use it. “Increasing public awareness contributed to the federal government taking stakes.” [10] The reason it worked so well is because of the government help that was involved that allowed the people to have to follow. Making it mandatory is not something that people were doing out of the kindness of their hearts. Because in some areas now some stores make you pay more money for plastic bags. While this does make a difference and could help make some improvements. Most people are willing to pay a little more money for the convenience of getting a plastic bag. To make a difference then you need to ban them entirely and then people will have no access to them. In cases of emergencies, they can use them. But other than that, stores need to stop using them. The support that the Chilean government gave was also a great step in the right direction. “We conclude that the ban of SUBPs in Chile was facilitated by a broad concern among the general public, which led to a bottom-up movement culminating in the national government taking stakes in the issue. Finally, we argue that this can only be a first step that must be followed by further actions to abolish single-use products to effectively protect the environment and in particular the world’s oceans.” [9]
Solution about access One solution to this would come from less production of it so that people would then have to use something else. Because you continue to give people access to something that they shouldn’t use they will use it. Looking at production would help a lot. “The amount of plastic produced globally since 1950 is estimated at 9.2 billion metric tons (MT) and upwards of 6.9 billion MT of plastic has ended up in landfills or worse, “leaking” into the environment (Brooks et al.,2018). Since the creation of plastic polymers in the 1950s, single-use plastic production, use, and mismanagement have resulted in devastating impacts on marine, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (UNEP, 2014, 2018).” Seeing this you can see that a simple solution would be to stop producing it or try to limit its production of it so that the people who need it most can use it and can have access to it. But those who are just you are using it out of convenience and don’t need it don’t have access to it. Now it’s not in infinite supply like it is now. Where you can have access to it in some cases.
Less use
Another solution with food packaging would be to find ways to not use plastic and that is what one company figured out. Which is to use a coating that allows the food to stay good which can allow you to not use plastic as much when it comes to packaging it. “Such packaging and coatings may protect very powerfully against microbial spoilage and loss of intrinsic product quality, resulting in a prolonged shelf-life. An overview of the development and application of edible films and coatings is given here, comprising recent results from the EU project concerning the barrier properties of edible films and the inclusion of active compounds.” [4] This would help solve food packaging which is one of the biggest things that we don’t have an answer for. Since many times food needs to be packaged in a certain way so you can decrease the amount of plastic you’re going to use. You can only try your best to figure out other ways to fix which is how the filament helps. It allows the food that you’re working with to stay fresh without using anything else which is a huge help and a significant move in the right direction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, plastic has a large impact on our planet and a solution needs to be found. Finding ways to use it correctly and adding changes to it are at the top of the list of things to get to. Because taking it out from our planet will not be possible. That is why we need to provide a realistic solution for our use of plastic. “not to eliminate it, but to innovate it. Views plastic not only as a known environmental and health hazard but as a material critical to our future and therefore worth revising for future use. Explains what we must do—and by when—to be able to keep using plastic without harming the planet or our health.” [8] That’s why our convenience needs to be taken out of this and we need to start a new era of action and change. Where convenience is not something we even think about.
Bibliography
[1] Cristi, María Amenábar, et al. “The rise and demise of plastic shopping bags in Chile–Broad and informal coalition supporting ban as a first step to reduce single-use plastics.” Ocean & Coastal Management 187 (2020): 105079.
[2] Parker, Laura. “We made plastic. We depend on it. Now we’re drowning in it.” National Geographic 16 (2018).
[3] Aarnio, T., & Hämäläinen, A. (2008). Challenges in packaging waste management in the fast food industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 52(4), 612-621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2007.08.002
[4] Junhong, C., Liu, H., & Salvo, A. (2021). Air pollution as a determinant of food delivery and related plastic waste. Nature Human Behavior, 5(2), 212-220. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-00961-1
[5] Guilbert, S., Gontard, N., & Gorris, L. G. (1996). Prolongation of the Shelf-life of Perishable Food Products using Biodegradable Films and Coatings. LWT – Food Science and Technology, 29(1-2), 10-17. https://doi.org/10.1006/fstl.1996.0002
[6] Walker, T.R., McGuinty, E., Charlebois, S. et al. Single-use plastic packaging in the Canadian food industry: consumer behavior and perceptions. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 8, 80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00747-4
[7] Ncube, L. K., Ude, A. U., Ogunmuyiwa, E. N., Zulkifli, R., & Beas, I. N. (2021). An overview of plastic waste generation and management in food packaging industries. Recycling, 6(1), 12.
[8] Kumar, Pramod. “Role of plastics on human health.” The Indian Journal of Pediatrics 85.5 (2018): 384-389.
[9] Geyer, Roland, Jenna R. Jambeck, and Kara Lavender Law. “Production, use, and the fate of all plastics ever made.” Science advances 3.7 (2017): e1700782.
[10] Buffington, Jack. Peak Plastic: The Rise Or Fall of Our Synthetic World. ABC-CLIO, 2018.
[11] Brooks et. al 2018
[12] WWE 2014