5/4/2020 Plastic loves the pandemic

BUSINESS

Plastic loves the pandemic

PUBLISHED : 4 MAY 2020 AT 04:30 NEWSPAPER SECTION: ASIA FOCUS
WRITER: NAREERAT WIRIYAPONG

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The Covid-19 pandemic has upended daily life and commerce throughout
the world. As one of the millions working from home over the past few
weeks, I've grown accustomed to having meals delivered to my doorstep.
Before that, I rarely used food delivery services; dining out was the norm
rather than eating at home.

Now I'm starting to see the plastic containers piling up in my home.

Feeling guilty about that, I wash them so that I can reuse them. It's tough
to be an eco–conscious consumer these days because more containers will
keep coming, but it's better than doing nothing and just throwing them
away after using them once.

The coronavirus lockdown has generated a massive increase in domestic

waste everywhere. With tens of millions of people in cities around the
world stuck at home for weeks, they have relied on food deliveries and
online shopping, which unavoidably results in surging demand for
packaging.

Sadder than the immediate increase in plastic consumption is the fact that
once people get used to the convenience of food delivery, it could have
long-lasting consequences. It could encourage more people to become
dependent on online platforms.

At the same time, more restaurants may expand their online business to
avoid the risk of any future shutdowns of their dining-in operations. That
will mean more disposable plastic containers that are hard to recycle.

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https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1912152/plastic-loves-the-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR2D4ICLFrocHpRwlq_UPFNXgLiCmujYx8Kb5O2QYUqlEz_UpN9_-99pdFw 1/6
5/4/2020 Plastic loves the pandemic

Another change we have seen lately is that businesses that once

encouraged consumers to bring their own bags or containers have
switched back to single-use packaging in the name of safety. In early
March, Starbucks announced a temporary ban on reusable cups and many
others followed suit.

The sad truth is that garbage sorting is still not mandated in many
countries and cities; most consumers just dump plastic containers with
other trash in their bins.

A more immediate worry is the rise in medical and hazardous waste from
treatment of Covid-19 patients, and the possibility that some of it will not
be properly treated and disposed of.

As cases continue to spread exponentially in some countries, hospitals,

waste haulers and treatment centres could be overwhelmed by a surge of
regulated medical waste such as masks, gloves, booties, bed linens, cups,
plates, towels, packaging and disposable medical equipment. While
governments suggest everyone wear a mask in public places, their use has
added to the piles of medical waste to be disposed of.

Keeping all that garbage safe and contained will continue to be a challenge
until the crisis is over. And while the priority for governments is to curb
the spread of the virus, they need to also educate people about why it's
their responsibility to sort garbage and why it will benefit them.

On a broader scale, ensuring adequate supplies of medical products is a

challenge for every country. Governments have adopted measures to
facilitate imports of Covid-related medical products, such as cutting
import duties, curbing customs-clearance processes, and streamlining
licensing and approvals.

At the same time, though, there is a growing use of export restrictions and
other actions that limit trade of key medical supplies and food so that
countries can address domestic needs. This raises concerns about supply
disruptions on the global stage.

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), global imports of

crucial goods needed in the fight against Covid-19, such as face masks and
gloves, hand soap and sanitiser, protective gear, oxygen masks, ventilators
and pulse oximeters, amounted to nearly US$300 billion last year.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1912152/plastic-loves-the-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR2D4ICLFrocHpRwlq_UPFNXgLiCmujYx8Kb5O2QYUqlEz_UpN9_-99pdFw 2/6
5/4/2020 Plastic loves the pandemic

While WTO rules allow for temporary export restrictions "applied to

prevent or relieve critical shortages" in the exporting country, such
restrictions can be dangerously counterproductive and severely damage
the global economy when taken collectively.

Such measures disrupt supply chains, depress production and misdirect

scarce, critical products and workers away from where they are needed
most. Other governments counter with their own restrictions. This could
prolong and exacerbate the health and economic crisis -- with the most
serious effects likely on poorer and more vulnerable countries.

Free trade has made cutting-edge medical products available throughout

the world at competitive prices and this should be encouraged. To ramp up
the production of medical supplies, it is essential to build on existing
cross-border production and distribution networks.

While we need to defeat the virus at home, closer cooperation through

open trade policies is also critical to fight the pandemic, reinvigorate
economic growth and restore jobs. No country cannot survive living alone,
can it?

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https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1912152/plastic-loves-the-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR2D4ICLFrocHpRwlq_UPFNXgLiCmujYx8Kb5O2QYUqlEz_UpN9_-99pdFw 3/6