Is plastic packaging becoming more of a serious threat to our environment than fossil fuels?
By Michael Smith (Veshengro)
This is a very contentious question, I know, but a serious one, nevertheless. Yes, fossil fuels cause CO2 and other GHG emissions but the production and then the disposal of plastic bottles and other plastic packaging, some of which cannot even be recycled, more than likely contributes much more to the problems of our Planet than does gasoline, diesel, coal, etc.
There are the emissions in production, in transportation and later for disposal and all this has to be factored in, which it rarely is.
Finally there is the pollution that is caused by all this plastic, whether in the form of plastic bottles, blister packs, plastic grocery bags, or what have you on plastic packaging. One of the greatest culprits probably are, aside of the plastic bottle and the carrier bag, those expanded polystyrene cups and beans. Polystyrene cannot be recycled in most places. While, in theory it can, facilities rarely exist for the recycling of expanded polystyrene, and thus the products end up in landfill sites where they will never break down; expanded polystyrene does not degrade.
As fas as pollution is concerned plastic, especially in its disposable form, is becoming a real menace and we must take steps to less this and to come to a more or less full stop on it.
Much of the environmental pollution of the disposable plastic products, whether plastic carrier bags, plastic soda and water bottles, cups, etc., is due to people's laziness. Putting such items into litter bins instead of just tossing them into the countryside would already go a long way.
While that does not eliminate the problem with those kinds of plastic the bits stop littering the roads, parks, verges, etc. if properly disposed off into litter bins and trash cans. But far too few people give a toss to do it.
The final disposal of those items of plastic still is something that also causes pollution of the ground or the air, depending as to whether the stuff is being incinerated or landfilled. This pollution will only come to an end as and when we finally replace oil-based plastics with something else and not, in reality, with another kind of plastic.
While compostable and biodegradable plastics are the answer to where we really need to have and use plastics there are many other places where plastics, whether petroleum-based or plant-based, are not the right answer.
While we – for the time being for sure – will not be able top eliminate our need for plastics they can, now, be made from materials other than petroleum and materials which make the plastic biodegradable and even compostable, though the latter requires not the stated three months when thrown onto a garden compost heap. They will need a year to two to decompose there.
There are some applications, such as, at least for the time being, laptop and netbook cases, and many others, where we will need to have plastic and thus bio-plast is the best choice over petroleum-based plastics.
On the other hand we should look once again to natural materials to replace plastics of all kinds, be this reusable shopping bags or wood and metal for cases for radios, televisions and even computers. That does, mean, however, that they will be heavier and the same for mobile phones. But the likes of the Storno W3 walkie talkie was not all that heavy and a cell phone, being smaller, would be lighter still then the W3, though heavier than current mobile telephones.
However, with metal cases such devices, though heavier somewhat, would be, on the other hand, tougher and stronger and thus, more than likely, especially if made repairable, might last much longer. Not that that is something that the manufacturers want.
As far as packaging is concerned we do not need at least 90% of that packaging to be made of plastic if not even a much higher percentage rate. Over-packaging is one of the greatest problem, as far as packaging is concerned and I have visited this matter many a times when mentioning the amount of packaging that is used for, for instance, Braun electric toothbrush heads. That is, however, but one example of too much plastic in packaging and why the packaging “has to be” of plastic in the very fist time, is the main question.
We really have to reconsider what we package and how and it would be a good idea it we thought about that now...
© 2011
