Plastic pollution is a painful, pitiful problem that has perplexed us long enough
Imagine this.
You wake up tomorrow morning literally drowning in an ocean of plastic. You turn the shower on and out spews not water but plastic bag after plastic bag after plastic bag, engulfing you. As far as the eye can see, plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic cups, all floating for eternity because plastic bottles take no less than 450 years to decompose. A world of plastic. This is the direction we are moving towards. We all complain that we live in a concrete jungle. Its time we realized we live in a plastic jungle too.
Plastic was created as a material which could last nearly forever, but the irony is that most plastic is only used once, and then thrown away, where much of it does last forever after entering our oceans. Our plastic is destroying the natural beauty of our planet , brutally murdering our beloved sea creatures, and creating microplastics that are now present in most of the food we eat and water we drink, severely damaging our health.
The US produces 234 pounds of plastic waste per person every year, with a significant portion of these single-use plastics ending up in landfills and eventually, the ocean. In fact, by 2025, the ocean is expected to contain one ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish, and by 2050, more plastic than fish, by weight. What will our oceans look like when they eventually have more plastic than fish? How proud are we as a species of our environmental impact?
We as a planet are failing several of our UN Sustainable Development Goals with plastic pollution including:
- Responsible consumption and production
- Climate action
- Clean water and sanitation
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Life below water
and several more.
The US alone produces 73 million metric tons of plastic per year.
Take a moment to process the scale of that number. That is a lot of plastic waste.
Out of this, 15% of plastic waste is from plastic bags. Annually, approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. A large proportion of these plastic bags are trash bags, which unfortunately cannot be re-used multiple times, as you would a grocery bag. At Uocan, we have narrowed our scope down to the problem of single-use plastic trash bags.
Certain existing solutions have already been tried, tested, and implemented. However, there are severe limitations.
The first major solution that comes to mind is plastic recycling. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, under 10% of these trash bags are actually recycled, leaving plenty of room for improvement. Most plastic trash bags have been contaminated with grease, food waste, gum, and other sticky, dirty substances which makes them almost entirely unusable, forcing them to rot in landfills. Plastic bags get ensnared in recycling machines at recycling centers, causing expensive time delays for recycling plants, encouraging recycling plants to instead divert their plastic bags straight to the landfill without even trying to give them a second life.
Secondly, the latest buzz is around biodegradable trash bags , which are considered eco-friendly because of the faster breakdown of plastic into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. These are a strong option in theory. Less so in practice. In the real world, they are expensive, flimsy, and degrade easily when exposed to water and sunlight. Not only are these biodegradable bags made from fossil fuels, but they also end up creating microplastics which is an entire sub-problem on its own, and not openly talked about by its proponents.
Despite recent innovations, new ideas and technology, replacing plastic trash bags entirely seems like a far-off vision, which fails to solve the plastic problem on our hands TODAY. Remember, the 3 Rs begin with 'Reduce' as the most feasible, practical solution that can make a big difference right here, right now. If we can't immediately, affordably, and viably bring plastic bag waste from 100 to 0, we can at least significantly reduce our environmental impact by saving at least 30% of the plastic on each discarded trash bag. All it takes is intelligent design and a simple rethinking of the form and functionality of our trash cans and trash bags, from a first principles lens.
Small individual steps toward sustainable living can add up towards global movements. We have decided to take our first small step on this rewarding journey of sustainable waste management, and would be delighted for you to join us. Learn more about how you can contribute toward solving our plastic problem and building an eco-friendly home for your loved ones, at Uocan .
Did we pique your curiosity? Learn more about the upcoming green revolution at https://www.uocan.com .