Question: Plastics bags is really bad for the environment. Should the government ban plastics bags all together?
Answer: It is not realistic nor feasible to expect a complete ban on all types of plastic bags. Plastics bags are here to stay they are part of our lifestyle. There is the “good kind” of plastic and there is the “bad kind of plastic”? The “bad kind” is the one that is derived from propylene, a chemical component of petroleum, which will make it nearly impossible to safely biodegrade in the environment. The “good kind of plastic” is made of biomass and are sourced from natural materials such as corn starch, wheat straw etc… this type will biodegrade within a few months in the right type of environment i.e. if disposed of properly. The problem is that only 1% of the total consumption of plastics is based on renewable raw material.
Question: So what’s the solution?
Answer: Go back to basics.
1. Ask people to stop using normal plastics bags;
2. Start using biodegradable/compostable bags instead;
3. Dispose of the waste in the proper bin ready to be collected, sorted out and sent to proper recycled centers. Everyone of us have a responsibility to bin our waste properly in order to make sure that it does not find its way into waterways, rivers and ocean.
The solution is upstream NOT downstream after the damage has been done.
Question: Marine pollution has received a lot of publicity lately and some innovator has come up with large scale innovative infrastructure to clean the whole ocean of all the plastic waste. This is a fantastic initiative don’t you think?
Answer: Those genuine and heroic effort should be applauded and respected however the truth of the matter is that this kind of “downstream involvement” which comes after the damage has been done will never resolve the problem; and even if they manage to clean the ocean their job will never be completed because new plastic waste will keep coming if there is a lack of consciousness about responsible ways to use and dispose of plastic waste. The time, effort and money would be better spent in the first place on making sure that the waste never found its way into waterways, rivers and oceans; this is done through education programs and investment to improve waste collection infrastructure (i.e. more bins and also more trash capture devices on rivers and estuary) to capture all kind of plastic waste upstream, which will then be sent to recycling centers.
