Plastics: The 3rs to effectively tackling visceral pain of our times

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OPINION

By Grace Eron Nanyonjo

Every June 5, the world celebrates World Environment Day, and the focus this year is on ending plastic pollution. Uganda is no stranger to the fight against plastic waste, as this can be traced back to the much-publicised ban on the use, production, importation and sale of polythene bags commonly known as ‘Kaveera’ below 30 microns in 2007.  

The biggest hurdle to the implementation of the ban seems to have been the difficulty in distinguishing polythene bags below 30 microns (a very low thickness) from those that were not.

It is not a stretch from the truth for one to opine that the ban has been a spectacular failure since Uganda currently generates approximately 600 metric tons of plastic waste daily.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that over 460 metric tons of plastic are produced every year for various uses, and an estimated 20 million metric tons of these plastics end up in the environment every year; an amount expected to triple by 2060.

Therefore, plastics may by far pose the biggest threat to humans because once poorly disposed of, they take approximately 450 to 500 years to decompose, thus altering the natural ecosystem of land and water. The slow decomposition rate of plastics is enabled by the use of fuels such as gas and petroleum during the manufacturing process.

Furthermore, owing to long exposure to the sun upon disposal, plastic waste breaks down into small invisible particles known as microplastics, which are later absorbed into food and drinks and our bodies.

Additionally, since some of the chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics are highly carcinogenic, this has contributed to the rise in long-term reproductive, respiratory, mental and developmental health challenges and ‘lifestyle’ diseases in our communities.

Despite the apparent and clear dangers posed by plastics use and plastics waste to the environment and human life, the production and consumption of plastic products do not seem to be close to reducing or being completely done away with in the near future. The main reason could be that, due to the rapid rate of industrialisation, especially in developing countries, the manufacture of plastics to meet consumer demands for convenient and cheap single-use plastic products is inevitable.

The high level of production and use of plastics globally and locally illustrates the generational, endemic, and visceral pain caused by plastic waste to the environment and human lives. Unless we become intentional about implementing sustainable production and consumption patterns for plastics, such as polythene bags, in our communities, effective and long-term management of plastic waste will remain a myth.

If not addressed through behavioural shift and attitude change towards responsible consumption and production, plastic pollution will indeed triple by 2060 as envisaged by UNEP. 

This behavioural shift can begin with us implementing the 3Rs of waste management, which are reduce, reuse and recycle, so as to save our environment and improve our standards of living currently and for future generations.

Reusing entails giving plastic waste items a secondary function without processing them. This saves energy, reduces household expenditure and eliminates waste before it exists. In hindsight, reusing totally prevents the existence of waste.

Recycling involves converting plastic waste into new materials, usually through industrial or manufacturing processes. Reusing prevents the existence of waste, while recycling is a solution to the waste problem because it gives plastic waste a second lease of life in the form of a different eco-friendly product.

Reducing waste involves minimising consumption of single-use plastics through the adoption of eco-friendly practices that reduce one’s carbon footprint, such as using reusable shopping bags, not buying single-use plastics in supermarkets, buying local produce from farmers and carrying a reusable coffee mug and water bottle.

Recycling and reusing plastic waste stores the carbon in the plastic throughout the lifetime of the recycled product and reused plastic item, thereby enhancing mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Ending the visceral pain that plastic waste has become in our lives begins with you and me making conscious choices that aim to reduce, recycle and reuse plastics. Let us end plastic pollution together. Happy World Environment Day.

The writer is a lawyer who is passionate about environmental and climate change law and policy