People Buy Plastic, People Can Stop It

Of all the plastic waste ever produced, only 9% has been recycled, about 12% has
been incinerated, while the rest — 79% — has accumulated in landfills, dumps or
the natural environment. source: UN Environment Programme report (2018).
Plastic is more than just a packaging material, it is the last resort for the Oil and
Gas industry. The industry cannot protract to drill the oil and gas and burn it for
energy because the climate cannot sustain it, therefore, this industry is escalating
the penetration of plastic even more to survive. Plastic recycling is the marketing
tactic used by plastic manufacturers as a way of promoting virgin plastic into the
market.

In Pakistan, more than 3.3 million tonnes of plastic is wasted each year, and most
of it ends in landfills, unmanaged dumps or strewn about land and water bodies
across the country. While you are sitting, how many plastic items can you spot
within your sight?. Don’t be shaken up by the number of items you spotted are
plastic. We have failed to acknowledge how slyly these giants have penetrated its
existence into our daily lives and its toxic impact on our mother earth.

Not every plastic can be recycled because for some plastics it is easier to
segregate, wash and recycle. Whereas, for others, it is difficult to recycle due to
the multiple layers in the packaging, which needs careful treatment and separate
processes that end up being higher in cost. I.e. ziplock bags, food wrappers (lays,
kurkure, clamshells, tupperwares).
Could the plantation of billion trees reverse climate change or we as a third world
country could even become closer to becoming a carbon zero country if we do
not question our consuming habits?

We have enough understanding that plastic is hazardous for the environment,

human’s health and climate. What we need to do is to find solutions and make
small changes in our lifestyle for a bigger impact. We need to unlearn and
relearn the activities that we perform in our daily lives, and business activities.

As responsible citizens, we need to adopt the conscious consumption mindset —

the impact of purchase decisions on the environment and consumers — for daily
activities. According to a recent global survey, Cigarette butts — whose filters
contain tiny plastic fibres — were the most common type of plastic waste found
in the environment. Drink bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, drink
lids, straws and stirrers were the next most common items. These products are
embedded in our lifestyle, we use them every day, without even thinking about
where they might end up.
Let’s look at the facts and solutions to make a positive contribution to combat the
plastic waste crises:

1- Humans buy about 1,000,000 plastic bottles per minute in total. Make a
change. Buy a reusable bottle to avoid plastic bottle water.

2- According to research, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.
Next time you go grocery shopping, buy vegetables from a street cart, or do
clothes shopping; take a cloth bag with you, or reuse the plastic bags that you
received from last month’s grocery shopping, vegetable cart, or cloth market.

3- We are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change. In this devil of
a time, we need to stop mindless consumption. Before purchasing or consuming
anything, ask yourself would it be harmless to the environment?.

Every choice you make has either a positive or a negative contribution to the
environment done by you.