The Debate #16 - Plastic Environment

I grew up in a world with less waste

Plastic items did not play a major role. Furniture was made of real wood just like the toys. Bicycles, motorbikes and cars had hardly plastic parts and the clothing was made of cotton, linen or wool. My grandmother brought her shopping net and we did the same.
Once a week we had a "leftovers day" and if there was anything left it went to the dog.
We did not have plastic waste containers but a metal bucket. This was emptied once a week and had a maximum capacity of 20 litres. Itvwas enough for a family with children, animals and a doctor's office.

Nowadays we separate.
There is a container for paper, for plastic, one for cans and tetra packs, one for white glass, one for coloured glass, batteries and even used (frying) oil can be handed in separately and there is a compost bin and the residual waste bin. There is no limit to the number of containers, the volume increaes and the waste mountains are getting higher.

It could be a lot less but the average government and manufacturer doesn't care about the environment.
If this had been the case, the packaging industry would have been restricted long ago.

If I go shopping I bring my own bags. I would love to, if I buy rice, meat, bread, fruits, eggs, and so on, use my own bags and containers but the average manufacturer is not open to that and neither is the store. After all, they rather sell 1 kilo of rice in a plastic bag than a cup of what the customer needs.

I don't buy fruit wrapped in foil. For years, the greengrocer sold everything without plastic containers or wrapped in foil. I don't believe it will keep products fresh for longer, besides many people shop daily and have a refrigerator.

By now we all know

that plastic is bad for the environment and... what is bad for the environment is also bad for us.
All that plastic not only ends up in the soil and water but also floats through the air and what floats is inhaled. We also ingest what is in the water and what animals ingest also harms our bodies.

Covid19 was good for a sea of plastic: face masks, gloves, syringes, plastic bottles with hand sanitizers .. it will take hundreds of years (400!) to get rid of it and within one year more harm was done then in all those years before!

Plastic plates and cups are far from healthy.
Be aware: Not all plastic is suitable for storing warm food or hot drinks and anyone who drinks from a plastic bottle ingests plastic!

Does it help to ban the use of plastic bags

when there is plastic in every item even the clothing we wear? To my opinion it is not. Nearly everything we can imagine contains plastic. This applies to the shoes we wear, our lunch box, the stroller, our phone and even the car.

source _{It doesn't matter where I go, if I am at home or travel abroad pictures like the one on the photo can be found everywhere and this is not even the worst scenario!}

Will there be life without plastic?

Of course. There are plenty of other materials we can use. These are the same materials I grew up with. I walked in wooden clogs, wooden clappers, knitted slippers and leather boots. I played with glass marbles and the skipping rope was made of rope. The French fries came in a paper cone with a wooden fork and a paper bag/piece of paper was folded around the bread. The groceries went in a shopping net, in the bicycle bag, the wicker basket or a box.
The car was not made of plastic and, like many toys, was made of metal or tin. The doll or bear was knitted, made of rags and sometimes had a porcelain head. We didn't need plastic tableware and even a baby drank from a glass bottle and a toddler from an earthenware cup or glass. A lollipop was on a wooden stick and candy was bought individually or was bought in a paper bag.
I am sure many will not even notice if plastic is replaced. There's no reason for buckets and tubs to be fabricated out of plastic and it will certainly last longer if they are not.

The main problem is the manufacturers. They want to sell and each year sales need to increase. They will never say: We did well, it's good as it is. To increase their income they have to sell junk, stuff that preferably needs to be replaced within one year.

If most plastic disappears, because consumers no longer buy it, nature is not saved.
In addition to the mountains of waste that we cover up with earth and on which our sheep graze, a lot of junk is routinely sprayed into the air, such as aluminium-coated fibreglass to make aircraft invisible to radar. Not to mention the toxic solar panels and the blades of the wind turbines that not only exterminate birds but also launch small particles into the air and are carcinogenic.
By the way, our "green energy journey" created mountains of discarded solar panels, batteries and wind turbine blades. Waste that no one knows what to do with. Green energy is just as nonsense as separating waste and recycling plastic.

If it comes to recycling plastic: Many manufacturers have given up on recycling it. First of all, it's not possible for each type of plastic and secondly, it is a costly affair.

I would say: To a sustainable society.
Let's buy milk, yoghurt, juice, cola and so on in a glass bottle and not buy whatever is wrapped in plastic, or wrapped in paper, a box and plastic. We should avoid as many plastic items as we can.

If shops force us to buy items wrapped in foil or plastic it might be a good idea to leave the package behind. Let the shop take care of it and keep your bin and the streets clean.

The photo was taken by me 
Header: Canva
24-2-2024
I am a mobile phone user only